Thursday, January 26, following the death the day before of 6 police officers, killed during 3 attacks the same day against the police station of Liancourt (zone of Moreau, Commune of Bas Artibonite) in the Artibonite by the armed men of the gangs of Savien "Gran Grif" and "Mowodwè", armed bandits traveling on motorcycles fired bursts in the streets of the capital sowing panic in the population...

Barricades of burning tires were erected at several streets in the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince, blocking traffic among others in Lalue, Delmas 30, Delmas 33 and Delmas 41 Gérald Bataille.

No police patrol was visible...

Shooting, burning tires and blocking of roads in Port-au-Prince, Carrefour, Delmas and Croix-des-Bouquets. Supermarkets, banks, and transfer houses have lowered their iron curtain or remained closed. Public transport was paralyzed, informal commerce had deserted the sidewalks. Demonstrations of protests in solidarity with the police were reported in Gonaives and Saint-Marc.

In addition, armed demonstrators, posing as police officers, some in uniform and wearing balaclavas, attempted to enter the official residence of the Prime Minister, smashing the windshields of cars in the courtyard, destroying surveillance cameras and shooting in the air... denouncing the death of their brothers in arms before quickly leaving the Official Residence of the PM on a motorbike to head for the Toussaint l'Ouverture International Airport where the Head of Government was expected to return from Argentina. These "policemen" invaded the arrivals and departures halls, creating panic causing delays in commercial and domestic flights and putting Prime Minister Henry in an awkward position, despite the safety and security officers and soldiers who provided security at the level of the diplomatic lounge... The Prime Minister was forced to cancel his press conference and was discreetly evacuated safe and sound by his close guards to a safe place in the capital

Let's recall that the Liancourt Police Station was the victim of 3 attacks on the same day from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and at the beginning of the afternoon. https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-38701-icihaiti-insecurity-6-police-officers-killed-in-clashes-with-the-gran-grif-gang.html During the first attack involving about thirty Heavily armed individuals, several of the bandits were mortally wounded by police officers from the police station. However, the police were overwhelmed during the 3rd attack which involved more than a hundred heavily armed assailants... 2 police officers lost their lives on the spot while 4 others, injured, were receiving treatment in a clinic. Their presence denounced by members of the population who sympathize with the gangs, allowed the thugs to enter the clinic and leave with the injured police officers whom they subsequently executed on their territory, explained Commissioner Jean Bruce Myrtil,

See also :

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-38701-icihaiti-insecurity-6-police-officers-killed-in-clashes-with-the-gran-grif-gang.html

S/ TB/ HaitiLibre