Heavy gunfire is heard around the National Palace in the Haitian capital

The area around the National Palace in the Haitian capital was the scene of intense gunfire Friday night, EFE was able to verify.

The shots were heard around the National Palace, in a wide area that goes from Champ de Mars to Nazon, Lalue, Canape-Vert and Turgeau, in the heart of Port-au-Prince. Prime Minister Ariel Henry is still in Puerto Rico and is under increasing pressure for a transfer of power, with demonstrations at home demanding his resignation and international calls for him to step down.

The Caribbean Community (Caricom) announced on Friday that it would hold a special meeting in the Jamaican capital on Monday, in which the United Nations and other international actors will also participate. According to senior UN sources, Caricom’s only message to Henry will be to request his resignation.

According to a 2022 political agreement, Henry’s term should have expired on Feb. 7, but the prime minister remains in power and has talked of delaying elections until August 2025, sparking the recent violence, which the gangs have called a “rebellion” against him.

Most of the violence in the past week has been targeted at symbols of the state, such as government buildings, prisons and the international airport. The powerful leader of the G9 gang, ex-cop Jimmy Cherisier, also known as Barbecue, has threatened “civil war” and “genocide” if Henry doesn’t step down.