There’s chaos in Haiti. Powerful gangs are attacking key targets like prisons as alliances shift

By DÁNICA COTO
Associated Press

Gangs in Haiti are increasingly powerful, and they’ve been attacking prisons and the main international airport. They’ve forced businesses and schools to close. Hundreds of people have fled. Heavy gunfire echoes in the capital every day. The director of Haiti’s National Police told local Radio Caraïbes last week that the first round of attacks left many police unable to respond. Government officials imposed a three-day nightly curfew that began Monday in an attempt to curb the violence. Heavily armed gangs have grown more powerful than Haiti’s weak government in recent years. The United Nations says gangs now control some 80% of the capital.