Haiti’s prime minister lands in Puerto Rico, official says, as gangs rampage at home

A plane carrying Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry landed in Puerto Rico on Tuesday, its governor’s spokesperson told CNN, after days of speculation about his whereabouts as Haitian capital Port-au-Prince plunged into crisis over the weekend.

Sheila Angleró Mojica told CNN she did not have additional details on the matter but added that “federal agents from the CBP [US Customs and Border Protection] are in charge,” without elaborating.

Since last week, Port-au-Prince has been gripped by a wave of highly coordinated gang attacks on law enforcement and state institutions. Armed groups have burned down police stations and released thousands of inmates from two prisons, in what one gang leader described as an attempt to overthrow Henry’s government.

Haiti’s government declared a state of emergency on Sunday amid the spiraling violence in Port-au-Prince. The United Nations has said 15,000 people have been forced to flee from their homes in the capital, adding to the over 300,000 who had already been displaced by gang violence.

The government cited the “deterioration of security,” notably “increasingly violent criminal acts perpetrated by armed gangs,” including kidnappings and killings of citizens, violence against women and children and looting, according to a statement from Finance Minister Patrick Boivert.