Saturday afternoon, a mutiny broke out in the civil prison of Arcahaie (Northwest of the capital), the mutineers would broke into an area used by the guards and appropriated at least five guns and other weapons.

Units of the Departmental Unit for Maintenance of Order (UDMO), of Corps of Intervention and Maintenance of Order (CIMO) and SWAT were on site to secure the scene and put troublemakers out of harm's way.

The Government has not yet officially communicated the number of prisoners escaped from or caught nor victims, but it condemned with the utmost firmness and takes very seriously the incidents in the civil prison of Arcahaie threatening Peace and public safety.

However, Chief Inspector Heurtelou Paul Colson, Head of the prison, said that 172 of the 266 prisoners would have escaped. A dozen escapees were captured. On the side of victims a police officer (agent 3 Fritz Gérald Canéus),and 2 police officers injured (Dérilus Jean Andressaint and Alexandre Néré), on the side of detained there would be one death, Romero Wood who made a fatal fall while he was climbing a wall, and two wounded.

The Prime Minister, Enex Jean-Charles also President of the Superior Council of the National Police, gave the Minister of Justice, Camille Edouard Jr., instructions to take all necessary measures to remedy this unacceptable situation.

The Minister of Justice announced that a prisoner identified as Yvener Carélus, a repeat offender, imprisoned for kidnapping and former inmate of the prison of Croix-des-Bouquets had been arrested. It would be the alleged mastermind of the escape and is being questioned, "He planned the escape from the inside with some complicity" the Minister stated...

A delegation composed of Ministers Camille Edouard (Justice), François Anick Joseph (Interior), Pierrot Délienne (Foreign Affairs), of Central Director of the administrative police, Joany Caneus and other authorities of the National Police of Haiti (PNH), went to Arcahaie for a thorough investigation on the situation of panic caused by armed inmates.

The Minister of Justice has tried to reassure by saying that all provisions have already been taken to ensure the safety of the population. He took the opportunity to ask all the residents of the area to cooperate with police.

Formal orders have been given to special units of the PNH for it to continue the manhunt and apprehend the escapees. Police have set up roadblocks on the roads leading to the prison. The inmates of the prison do not wear uniforms, complicating the search. The list of fugitives will be transmitted to Interpol and the General Inspection will conduct an investigation into the escape, informed the Minister Édouard.

To be continued...

HL/ HaitiLibre