By PIERRE-RICHARD LUXAMA (Associated Press)
In the downtown area of Haiti's capital, heavy gunfire broke out on Monday as police clashed with gang members near the National Palace for several hours.
Reports from local media said that at least one policeman was shot after he and other officers had to run from an armored car that was later set on fire.
Many people were stuck in downtown Port-au-Prince because of the gunfire, while others managed to escape. One man said he was stuck for five hours until the police rescued him, and an armored car helped him leave the area.
He said, "It's the armored car that covered us (so we could) leave the area."
A spokesperson for Haiti's National Police did not respond to messages asking for comment.
This gunfight comes after powerful gangs started attacking important government buildings more than a month ago. They have burned down police stations, shot at the main international airport (which is still closed), and taken over the country's two largest prisons, releasing over 4,000 prisoners.
The violence has calmed down a bit in some areas since the attacks started on February 29, but there are still daily sounds of gunfire.
Up to March 22, the UN reported that at least 1,554 people have been killed and another 826 were injured.
The situation made Prime Minister Ariel Henry say last month that he would resign when a transitional council is formed. Henry, who was on an official trip to Kenya to ask for the UN-supported deployment of a police force from the East African country, is still not able to go back to Haiti.
The proposed transitional council of nine members, which has not been officially set up yet, will be responsible for choosing a new prime minister and council of ministers.
On Monday night, Haiti's government released a statement expressing concerns about its creation, saying that the current council of ministers encountered legal issues when trying to establish it. The Constitution and Haitian laws do not mention this institution.
The government said the ministers met on Monday to talk about the transitional council and shared the draft decree with legal experts so they could finalize it and make it legal according to the country's laws.
The current council of ministers also plans to create a joint commission to supervise the handover of responsibilities.
The government of Haiti mentioned that Henry got a list of nine people nominated to the transitional council on Friday and a draft decree to create the council on Sunday.
