Violence rages as Haiti gang boss 'Barbecue' vows to oust PM Henry

Gun battles across the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince have left four police officers dead, as a prominent gang leader said a coordinated attack by armed groups was under way to oust Prime Minister Ariel Henry.

Shots were heard across the city on Thursday as authorities battled assailants who had targeted police stations, including two that were set on fire, as well as a police academy and the Toussaint-Louverture International Airport.

"Today, we announce that all armed groups are going to act to get Prime Minister Ariel Henry to step down," gang leader Jimmy Cherisier, known by the nickname Barbecue, said in a video posted on social media before the attacks began.

"We will use all strategies to achieve this goal," he said. "We claim responsibility for everything that's happening in the streets right now."

A police union official told the AFP news agency that in addition to the four officers killed, five were injured.

Armed gangs have taken over entire swaths of the country in recent years, unleashing brutal violence that has left the Haitian economy and public health system in tatters.

At the same time, the Caribbean nation has also been engulfed in widespread civil and political unrest, with thousands taking to the streets in recent weeks to demand Henry step down after he refused to do so as scheduled.

Under a political deal concluded following the assassination of former president Jovenel Moise in 2021, Haiti was supposed to hold elections and Henry cede power to newly elected officials by February 7 of this year, but that hasn't happened.

The attacks came as Henry is currently in Kenya, which is moving to head up a multinational mission greenlit by the UN Security Council to help the Haitian police wrest back control of the country.

Kenya-led multinational policing mission

Meanwhile, schools, universities, and businesses in Haiti halted their activities.

At one point, students at the State University of Haiti were briefly taken hostage before being released, a dean told AFP. At least one student was shot and wounded in the fighting, he added.

Multiple airlines cancelled domestic and international flights after aircraft, and an airport terminal came under fire.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said on Thursday that in addition to restoration of safety, a solution was needed for Haiti's years of political turmoil.

Prime Minister Henry on Wednesday had agreed to "share power" with the opposition until fresh elections are held, though a date hasn't been set.

Five countries have said they are willing to join the Kenya-led multinational policing mission, including the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Benin and Chad.

No numbers have yet been given for the potential force, and a deployment date has yet to be announced.