PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti: Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry fled the northern city of Gonaves after a shootout on January 1 between his security forces and an armed gang.
According to local media, one person died and two were injured in the gun battle, which forced Henry and others to seek shelter as they walked out of a cathedral after attending a mass to celebrate Haiti’s independence from France.
The prime minister’s office told the Associated Press that “bandits and terrorists” made an attempt on Henry’s life and accused the gang of threatening the bishop by surrounding the church.
“That is intolerable,” the prime minister’s office said, adding that it has issued arrest warrants.
The incident is another blow to Henry’s fragile interim regime, which is struggling with rising poverty and a surge in gang violence.
Henry sought to create a coalition to run the country after the assassination of President Jovenel Mose, with general elections scheduled for mid-2022.
In a tweet after the attack, Henry thanked the Bishop of Gonaves for having held the mass, “despite the tense situation that was prevailing in the city.”
Heny has pledged to crack down on gangs that authorities blamed for a series of kidnappings and for blocking gas distribution terminals, which caused a severe fuel shortage and prompted the U.S. and Canada to urge their citizens to leave the country.
