World’s most dangerous city descends into civil war as 4,000 inmates break out of prison in jail massacre

HAITI is in a state of emergency after after a deadly gang assault on the capital's main prison freed nearly 4,000 inmates.

The capital of Port-au-Prince, dubbed the "world's most dangerous city", has descended into civil war following the jailbreak and days of riots, leaving dozens killed in the carnage.

The jailbreak has plunged Haiti into further chaos as violence exploded in the capitalCredit: Reuters

A 'massacre' has been taking place in Port-au-PrinceCredit: Reuters

Police are battling to control the spiralling violenceCredit: Reuters

A 72-hour state of emergency began Sunday night as the government vowed to find the killers, kidnappers and other violent criminals that escaped en masse from jail.

The emergency decree was issued after a deadly weekend that marked a new low in Haiti's downward spiral of violence.

Dozens have been killed, including police officers, as gangs stepped up coordinated attacks on state institutions in Port-au-Prince, including the country's international airport and the national soccer stadium.

But the attack on the National Penitentiary late Saturday was a big shock Haitians, even though they are accustomed to living under the constant threat of violence.

Almost all of the estimated 4,000 inmates escaped, leaving the normally overcrowded prison eerily empty Sunday with no guards in sight.

Three bodies with gunshot wounds lay at the prison entrance.

In another neighbourhood, the bloodied corpses of two men with their hands tied behind the backs lay face down as residents walked past roadblocks set up with burning tires.

Among the few dozen that chose to stay in the prison are 18 former Colombian soldiers accused of working as mercenaries in the July 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Mose.

Amid the fighting Saturday night, several of the Colombians shared a video pleading for their lives.

"Please, please help us," one of the men, Francisco Uribe, said in the message widely shared on social media. "They are massacring people indiscriminately inside the cells."

A second Port-au-Prince prison containing around 1,400 inmates was also overrun.

Gang gunmen also took over the nation's top soccer stadium, holding one employee hostage for hours, Haiti's soccer federation said.

Jimmy Chrizier, a former elite police officer known as Barbecue has claimed responsibility for the surge in attacks.

The cop-turned-warlord is rumoured to have earned his nickname for setting his victims on fire and has led a long reign of terror over the poorest areas of the city.

He said the goal is to capture Haiti's police chief and government ministers and prevent Prime Minster Ariel Henry's return.

Henry has shrugged off calls for him to resign and didn't comment when asked if he felt it was safe to come home.

Internet service for many residents was down as the city's main fibre optic cable connection was slashed during the rampage.

In the space of less than two weeks, several state institutions have been attacked by the gangs, which are increasingly coordinating their actions and choosing increasingly bold targets.

After gangs opened fire at Haiti's international airport last week, the US Embassy said it was halting all official travel to the country and on Sunday night urged all American citizens to depart as soon as possible.

The Biden administration said it was monitoring the rapidly deteriorating security situation with grave concern.

The surge in attacks follows violent protests that turned deadlier in recent days as the prime minister went to Kenya seeking to move ahead on a proposed U.N.-backed security mission in Haiti to be led by that East African country.

Henry took over as prime minister following Moise's assassination and has repeatedly postponed plans to hold parliamentary and presidential elections, which havent happened in almost a decade.