Haiti Gangs Spark Fresh Spate Of Attacks After Announcement of New Prime Minister

The announcement of Fritz Bélizaire as the new prime minister of Haiti has led to a fresh spate of attacks in the country by gangs, who burned houses and cross-fired with police officers for many hours.

The attacks sparked Wednesday late evening in areas like Solino and Delmas 18, 20 and 24 located southwest of the main international airport, pushing many people to leave the areas Thursday morning.

The main international airport has been shut for the last two months amid ongoing gang violence in the country.

"The gangs started burning everything in sight," a man named Néne said, AP News reported. "I was hiding in a corner all night."

Néne said this when he was walking with his friend, carrying a suitcase filled with clothes, which was the only thing they could get from their house. On Wednesday night, the neighborhoods that had pedestrians and traffic all over suddenly became like a ghost town in the morning following the violence.

Many people on Thursday were seen leaving their houses to save themselves, carrying clutched fans, stoves, mattresses and plastic bags filled with clothes on foot, motorcycles or small buses. Several people, who lost everything during the attack, were seen walking empty-handed.

A 47-year-old man named Paul Pierre was walking with his partner to find some shelter, as his house was burnt and no items could be saved. "There were gunshots left and right," he said, adding, "Everyone is just trying to save themselves."

Pierre said the overnight attack separated many families -- parents from their children and husbands from their wives as everyone tried to save themselves amid violence.

A lady named Martineda fled with her four-year-old baby after armed gunmen burnt her house. "I told him, 'Don't be scared. This is life in Haiti," she said, as she carried goods on her head including butter, hoping to sell later and earn out of it to find a new house.

The area, where the attack took place, is controlled by a former elite police officer Jimmy Chérizier, who is the leader of a powerful gang known as G9 Family and Allies.

Last month, gunfire broke out in Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince, causing healthcare workers to stop providing urgent medical care for thousands of Haitians.