Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry escapes assasination - One dead in attack

Port-au-Prince,  Haiti, January 2, 2021 -  One person was killed and several injured during an attack by an armed gang against Haitian Prime Minister Dr. Ariel Henry and his entourage, as they were leaving church following a mass to commemorate the 218th anniversary of independence in the Haitian city of Gonaives.

According to Haitian media, one person was killed in the shootout between an armed gang in the Raboto sector and the security forces protecting Henry and other officials.

Inside the Saint Charles de Borome parish, there were no worshippers, only local authorities and the government delegation.

The ceremony was held amidst threats from heavily armed gangs who control the area which warned Henry not to come to the city.

As Henry and his delegation exited the church, armed thugs opened fire at the prime minister and the protective forces responded and rushed Henry from the area; one person was killed and several others wounded. The prime minister was not injured.

The attack prevented Henry from completing the events he had scheduled in the city on the commemoration of Haiti’s independence from France.

The country is going through a severe crisis in practically all areas; one of the most difficult to overcome is the operation of heavily armed gangs that control part of Port-au-Prince and other areas.

The situation in the poorest country of the northern hemisphere worsened even more after the assassination of President Jovenel Moise by a commando who entered without resistance to his residence in the early morning of this past July 7.