HAITI’S unelected government said on Thursday that it was extending a state of emergency and nighttime curfew to try to curb violent gang attacks.

Attacks by gangs have paralysed the capital Port-au-Prince in a fierce battle for political power.

An initial three-day curfew was announced over the weekend, but gangs have continued to attack police stations and other state institutions at night as Haiti’s National Police struggles to contain the violence with limited staff and resources.

The attacks began a week ago, shortly after appointed Prime Minister Ariel Henry agreed to hold general elections in mid-2025 while attending a meeting of Caribbean leaders in Guyana. 

Gangs have burned police stations, shot up the main international airport, which remains closed, and raided Haiti’s two biggest prisons, freeing more than 4,000 inmates.

During that time, Mr Henry had travelled to Kenya to push for the deployment of a United Nations-backed police force from the east African country to help fight gangs in Haiti. 

But a court in January ruled that the deployment was unconstitutional.

Mr Henry is reportedly in Puerto Rico, where he was forced to land on Tuesday after the armed groups laid siege to the international airport, preventing him from returning.

Dozens of people have died in Haiti’s recent gang attacks, including several police officers. The violence also has left more than 15,000 people homeless, in addition to some 300,000 Haitians who lost their homes to gang wars in recent years.

In addition, there were reports on Thursday that gangs looted shipping containers filled with food at the main port in Port-au-Prince, raising concerns that provisions in the capital and elsewhere would dwindle quickly.

“If we cannot access those containers, Haiti will go hungry soon,” said Laurent Uwumuremyi, Haiti director for Mercy Corps.

The operator of the port, Caribbean Port Services SA, said in a statement on Thursday that it was suspending all operations because of “malicious acts of sabotage and vandalism.”

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the insecurity has forced the World Food Programme to suspend its maritime transport service, which is currently the only means of moving food and medical supplies for aid organisations from Port-au-Prince to other parts of the country. 

Germain Andre, a shop owner who sells rice, oil, beans, milk and other basic goods, said: “Travelling is very scary,” as the gangs mount road blocks.

He added: “No-one is secure. Everyone is scared of each other now. We don’t know if they’re gang members.”