GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC) — The Caribbean Community (Caricom) Tuesday said it is engaged in discussions with various stakeholders in Haiti, where the authorities have been forced to impose a curfew and state of emergency as they seek to regain control of the French-speaking country following last weekend’s security situation that resulted in several inmates being freed by criminal gangs.

Caricom chairman and Guyana’s President Dr Irfaan Ali, in a one-minute video statement on behalf of the 15-member regional grouping, said: “Caricom has been singularly focused on the events unfolding in Haiti over the last few days.

“The expanded Bureau [of Heads] has been meeting separately with Prime Minister [Dr Ariel] Henry, the stakeholders in Haiti, and our international partners to bring resolution to this highly complex matter where persons lives and livelihood are at stake,” he said.

Ali said that the “complexity requires us in these consultations to ensure that a Haitian-led and Haitian-owned solution may be achieved as soon as possible. We remain deeply engaged and will update on the outcome of our deliberations as soon as practicable”, Ali said in the video statement that made no specific reference to or condemnation of last weekend’s criminal gang activities.

Media reports in Haiti said the Cap-Haitien and Toussaint Louverture airports have become the targets of the criminal gangs who want to prevent Henry and his delegation from returning to the country.

On Monday several activists from the Opposition “Pitit Dessalin” party gathered in front of the Cap-Haitien International Airport urging people to block the return of Prime Minister Henry.

Heavily armed gangs tried to seize control of the airport on Monday, exchanging gunfire with police and soldiers in the latest attack on key government sites and in an explosion of violence that includes a mass escape from the country’s main prisons.

The Toussaint Louverture International Airport was closed when the attack occurred, with no planes operating and no passengers on site.

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