Haiti: police recover cargo ship hijacked by gangs

Haiti’s National Police agency says it has recovered a hijacked cargo ship laden with rice following a gunbattle with gangs on Saturday off the coast of the capital, Port-au-Prince.

Two police officers were injured and an undetermined number of gang members were killed in the five-hour shootout, authorities said in a statement.

Police added that those responsible for the hijacking were members of two gangs, named the 5 Seconds and the Taliban gang, who seized the transport ship Magalie on Thursday as it departed the port of Varreux.

Local media Radio Télé Métronome reported that the gangs kidnapped everyone aboard the ship and stole some 10,000 sacks of rice out of the 60,000 sacks it was carrying.

Ongoing violence

Gang violence in Haiti has escalated since late February, with the underfunded police department struggling to quell attacks.

Gunmen also began targeting key  government infrastructure.

The gangs have made several attempts to take over the National Palace in a final push to gain complete control of the capital.

On Monday, police  ordered the evacuation of the Champ de Mars area near the National Palace in downtown Port-au-Prince as heavy gunfire erupted nearby.

The country's Prime Minister Ariel Henry on March 12 agreed to resign once a transitional presidential council is established.