Haiti is facing a state of emergency and curfew following a massive prison break and wave of violence and deaths. Tensions in Haiti are escalating after a violent gang attack resulted in the escape of thousands of inmates. The government has declared a state of emergency and implemented a curfew in response. The death toll has risen to at least ten.

This Monday, the capital of Port-au-Prince remained virtually paralyzed as unease grows within the international community, with the United States and the United Nations expressing alarm over the increasing instability.

With the temporary closure of educational and financial institutions, citizens have been reluctant to defy the curfew, venturing out only to acquire basic necessities such as water, food, and fuel.

On Sunday night, the government declared a state of emergency in the department of Ouest in Haiti, which includes Port-au-Prince, imposing circulation restrictions lasting until Wednesday, March 6.

“Pierre Espérance, executive director of the National Network for the Defense of Human Rights (RNDDH), reported numerous bodies of detainees,” noting that following the gang assault, the National Penitentiary of Port-au-Prince was left with only about a hundred inmates out of the approximately 3,800 prior to the incident.

An AFP reporter confirmed the presence of several lifeless bodies in the vicinity of the prison on Sunday morning.