Haiti police block roads, burn tires in protest

STORY: Demonstrators, some claiming to be police officers, rioted in Haiti’s capital city Port-au-Prince on Thursday, protesting over recent killings of police officers by armed gangs in the country.

The protesters – wearing hoods, flak jackets, and one with a shirt with the word ‘police’ written on the sleeve - roared through streets on motorbikes, and blocked roads with trucks and burning tires.

This protester, wearing a helmet and bullet-proof vest, says they’re seeking justice for “their brothers killed by bandits”, and asking for a reaction from the Prime Minister to the crisis.

The mob later broke into the airport, just as Prime Minister Ariel Henry was returning from a trip to Argentina.

A Reuters witness heard gunfire near Henry’s official residence in Port-au-Prince, which was swarmed by protesters.

Haiti's National Police and the Prime Minister's Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

According to the force and local media reports, at least 10 officers were murdered in the Caribbean nation the past week, which has been mired in gang violence.

The United Nations is discussing sending a foreign strike force to confront the criminal groups, but no country has offered to lead such a force.