Gunfire paralyses Haiti’s capital as gang leader threatens police chief

Residents flee their homes during clashes between police and gang members in the Portail neighbourhood in Port-au-Prince, Haiti (Odelyn Joseph/AP)

Heavy gunfire paralysed Haiti’s capital on Thursday, and at least four police officers were killed, as a powerful gang leader announced that he would try to capture the country’s police chief and government ministers.

The move came during the absence of Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who is in Kenya as Kenya and Haiti signed agreements on Friday to try to salvage a plan for the African country to deploy 1,000 police officers to the troubled Caribbean nation to help combat gang violence that has surged to unprecedented levels.