POLICE in Haiti urgently appealed for help on Saturday night as they struggled to hold back gangs trying to storm the country’s main prison in a major escalation of violence sweeping the troubled Caribbean nation.

“They need help,” a union representing Haitian police said in a message posted on social media bearing an SOS emoji repeated eight times. 

“Let’s mobilise the army and the police to prevent the bandits from breaking into the prison.”

A police officer said the gangs had overwhelmed security forces but were not yet in control of the prison, where several gang leaders were being held. 

The armed clashes follow a string of violent protests that have been building for some time but turned deadlier in recent days as unelected Prime Minister Ariel Henry went to Kenya to salvage a proposed armed mission in Haiti to be led by that east African country and promoted by the United States.

Mr Henry was appointed as prime minister following the 2021 assassination of president Jovenel Moise and has repeatedly postponed plans to hold parliamentary and presidential elections, which haven’t taken place in almost a decade.

The penitentiary targeted by gangs is notorious for its extremely crowded and unhygienic conditions. Among its high-profile inmates are several gang leaders and 18 former Colombian soldiers accused in Moise’s killing.

Gangs are estimated to control up to 80 per cent of Port-au-Prince.

Mr Henry visited Nairobi to sign reciprocal agreements on Friday with Kenyan President William Ruto to try and salvage the plan to deploy Kenyan police to Haiti. 

Kenya’s High Court had ruled in January that the proposed deployment was unconstitutional.

Kenyan opposition politician Ekuru Aukot hit back last week, insisting that Mr Henry has no constitutional or legal powers to commit Haiti to any agreements with Kenya.

Caribbean leaders said last Wednesday that Mr Henry had agreed to schedule a vote by mid-2025.