Haiti Gangs Storm Mirebalais, Free 500 Inmates in Major Prison Break

• Apr 2, 2025

Armed gangs launched a coordinated attack on the central Haitian town of Mirebalais on Monday, releasing around 500 inmates from a local prison.

In a dramatic escalation of gang violence in Haiti, members of two powerful criminal groups stormed the town of Mirebalais, about 50km (30 miles) northeast of the capital Port-au-Prince, freeing hundreds of prisoners and sparking chaos across the region.

According to a spokesperson for Haiti's national police, additional officers have been deployed to restore order. Authorities claim they have since regained control of Mirebalais, but many of the escaped inmates are reportedly still on the loose.

Eyewitnesses described scenes of terror as heavily armed men opened fire on buildings and civilians, setting homes and vehicles ablaze. The assault forced many residents to flee, seeking safety from the violence.

The gangs also launched an attack on the local police station before breaking into the town’s jail, where they released the estimated 500 detainees.

Local reports and journalists say the attackers were members of the 400 Mawozo and "Taliban" gangs—both affiliated with the Viv Ansam gang coalition, which dominates large swaths of northern Port-au-Prince. Experts believe the assault may be part of a broader effort by the gangs to take control of key transportation routes leading from the capital into the countryside.

Mirebalais sits at a strategic junction, with one major road leading north to the coast and another heading east toward the Dominican Republic.

The 400 Mawozo gang is notorious for its frequent kidnappings of travelers on buses and other vehicles, while the Taliban gang maintains a stronghold in Canaan, a northern suburb of Port-au-Prince.

This latest incident comes just days after a Kenyan police officer, Benedict Kabiru, was killed in a separate gang-related attack. Kabiru was part of the Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS), a UN-backed force assisting Haitian police in their battle against gang control. He was the second Kenyan officer killed while serving in Haiti.

Despite international efforts, many Haitians say the MSS has made little headway in curbing the violence.

According to the United Nations, over 5,600 people were killed due to gang violence in Haiti in 2024 alone. An additional 2,212 people were injured, and 1,494 were kidnapped, underscoring the scale of the humanitarian crisis gripping the country.