Miami Herald Carribean correspondent discusses Haiti civil unrest

Right now Haiti is under a state of emergency gangs have taken over parts of Porto Prince completely paralyzing the capital tonight there are reports of them also trying to seize control of Haiti's main International Airport all flights between South Florida and Haiti have been cancelled due to the escalating violence over the weekend.

Armed gangs also attacked the Island's main prison releasing many inmates including high-profile criminals and gang leaders and joining us now is Jacqueline Charles she covers Haiti with our news Partners at the Miami Herald and Jacqueline you were supposed to be here with us in studio tonight but you have not been able to step away from.

Work because the situation in Haiti sounds like it continues to get worse by the moment no you're right I was on my way there when I received reports that gangs were shooting from all directions trying to take over the international airport for now things have quieted down but the Haitian National Police has been joined.

With members of the Armed Forces who have been deployed to assist police because this violence has basically stretched the resources of the Haitian National Police they've been overwhelmed and of course they're over gun they're outgun um as a result of this crisis Jacqueline we've seen and heard reporting on what is happening in Haiti.

But you've always done such a great job for the Miami Herald on reporting why it's happening obviously with the assassination of the president a couple of years ago there was also a fuel crisis in the midst of that plus just the country in and of itself over the last decades has been rebuilding why are these uh unrest happening right.

Now there well I have to tell you this unrest was happening even before the assassination of hati president juvel muiz in 2021 but today you have a country where there is not one elected official um Haitians themselves have not been able to come together and reach some sort of a pol political deal on how to govern this country and what you've.

Seen is gangs have stepped into that vacuum and the last couple of days what we are seeing is that gangs are much more coordinated they're talking to each other instead of fighting one another and that has everyone concerned because before you would see an attack here an attack there but what we've seen is strategic attacks that include both of.

The country's largest prisons we've seen them take over police stations and now we're seeing repeated attempts for them to seize control of the international airport in Port of France and we'll talk more about that in a moment but I want to go back to something you said this has been going on for a long time I've got a really good friend from Haiti all.

Her family is there uh almost two years ago her family packed up and left everything they left their home behind but now flights are grounded people can't get out what can people do who have loved ones in Haiti now to escape the situation there I mean it's a very difficult situation because the reality is in the.

Last two years we've lost police officers you're losing professionals you're losing doctors if you are someone in Haiti who is stuck who cannot travel because US Embassy you know hasn't been able to give out visas or they're not giving out visas or you can't get one the reality is is that you were just there and the other worrying thing is.

That gangs are now starting to go out into the countryside so areas where people escape to get away from the violence of photoprints those eras are now starting to have a problem with gangs and I was also reading that for the people who are there and unable to get out perhaps a shortage of f food and fuel for them as well so the situation.

Getting more dire by the day yes they have attacked the sea port they basically took out a power plant and then they came back a few days later and finish taking out the electricity there are hundreds of containers that are there cannot move truck drivers are afraid to go out I mean when you think about the fact that you have thousands.

Of individuals who were in prison that are now running on the streets um of Porter Prince people are afraid even with the state of emergency so we're just watching the situation because you just don't know what is going to happen next and as you mentioned people cannot leave the country and they cannot get into the country at this moment and we.

Know this is something that hits our community here in South Florida hard we have a huge Haitian Community a lot of people have loved ones there so this is um this is a tough situation for South Florida too Jaclyn Charles of the Miami thank you so much for your Insight and your reporting tonight

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