Haiti gangs are now a 'mini-Mafia state' who can dictate the government, expert says, as escaped inmates target hospitals and airports preventing desperate Americans from fleeing

Gangs in Haiti have become a 'mini-Mafia state,' experts have warned as the bloody uprising continues to wreak havoc across the country.

An attack on one of Haiti's largest prisons has left more than 3,500 convicts roaming the street, with hospitals under siege and widespread looting.

The resignation of the country's Prime Minister Ariel Henry on Monday has done little to stem the violence, which has shuttered airports and left Americans trapped. 

US Embassy staff were evacuated under the cover of night on Sunday, but many more citizens remain stranded, although the State Department is yet to confirm exactly how many.

Robert Fatton, professor of government and foreign affairs at the University of Virginia, likened the gangs now running the streets to a 'mini-Mafia state', as he warned they are a 'power unto themselves'.

'They are capable now of imposing certain conditions on the government itself,' he said. 'Those who created the gangs created a monster. And now the monster may not be totally in charge, but it has the capacity to block any kind of solution.

Gangs in Haiti have become a 'mini-Mafia state', experts have warned as the bloody uprising continues to wreak havoc across the country

More than 50 Americans and Canadians, including Yvonne Trimble and her husband (pictured) are desperately awaiting a missionary flight to get them out of Haiti where a bloody uprising has shut down airports

The couple have already had one evacuation flight cancelled. Florida-based Missionary Flights International said it has received dozens of frantic calls from ex-pats trying to escape 

'We are seriously trapped,' said Richard Phillips, a 65-year-old from the Canadian capital, Ottawa, who has traveled to Haiti more than three dozen times for humanitarian work

Haiti has been long been politically unstable, but this week a more brutal uprising began with gangs demanding the resignation of the country's Prime Minister Ariel Henry

Among those trying to flee are more than 50 Americans and Canadians desperately awaiting a missionary flight to get them out.

Florida-based Missionary Flights International said it has received dozens of frantic calls from ex-pats trying to escape the violence.

'At this point the airports are closed and we are not able to do anything yet. We are just waiting to see when things settle down, you know it could be next week but who knows really,' the non-profit's president Joe Karabensh said.

'It is not so bad in some of the rural places yet but the country going the way it is, the capital is like a war zone. It is going to have implications on food supply and things like that so they have made the decision they just want to get out.'

Americans, including famed columnist Mitch Albom, are stuck in the country now as US officials have yet to provide an evacuation plan or get them to safety despite labeling the conflict 'unpredictable and dangerous.'

Haiti has been long been politically unstable, but this week a more brutal uprising began with gangs demanding the resignation of the country's Prime  Minister Ariel Henry, 74.

Henry has since announced he is stepping down but this has done little to stem the bloodshed. Gangs continue to attack state institutions, including prisons and the Toussaint Louverture International Airport.

Around 3,500 criminals are wandering the streets after armed groups attacked the nation's largest prison by shooting and injuring police and prison staff.

Laurent Uwumuremyi, the Haiti country director for humanitarian group Mercy Corps, told Al-Jazeera Port-au-Prince remains paralyzed as escalating gang attacks 'to spread terror.'

'Main roads are still barricaded. The main international airport is still closed. The traffic is not fluid because people are still afraid of going out, even in the neighborhoods which have not been attacked,' he said. 

At least three hospitals have been attacked, leading to warnings from the Association of Private Hospitals in Haiti about shortages of oxygen and fuel. 

Yvonne Trimble, who lives in the northern coastal town of Cap-Haitien, is among the US missionaries waiting on a flight out of Haiti. 

She described how mobs have been surrounding the airport and launching bottles and rocks at any aircraft attempting to land in the mistaken belief it could be carrying Henry.

'We're completely locked down,' she said. 'This is the worst I've seen it. It's total anarchy.' 

Also unable to leave are Matt Prichard, a 35-year-old from Lebanon, Ohio, and his family. 

Prichard, COO of a missionary, has two children — an infant and toddler — with his Haitian wife, as well as an 18-year-old son.

The rest of his family hasn't been able to get documents to enter the U.S. yet, so they will all stay in southern Haiti for now.

Author and columnist Mitch Albom had gone down to visit the orphanage he founded and has now ended up stranded as gangs maintain a tight grip on the country's main airport

People queue and wait outside the Haitian Embassy in Santo Domingo, Domincan Republic on Tuesday. The country is being asked to pause deportations amid the chaos

Violence in the Caribbean country broke out out this past week, and threatened to bring down the local government

The US has deployed Marines to evacuate its embassy in Haiti as local gangs continue to attack state institutions, and as locals in the nation's capital where the diplomatic delegation is set continue to report the overwhelming stench of the dead

'We unfortunately seem to be stuck,' he said.

He said the local grocery store has nearly run out of basic goods and gas has been hard to find.

Author and columnist Mitch Albom had gone down to visit the orphanage he founded and has now ended up stranded.

'It's a mess in plain English, a real mess,' he told Barret News Media. Our kids are okay behind the walls here, the country is basically shut down.'

He also blasted the government's handling of the crisis, saying they had urged Henry to resign without thinking about the transitional process.

'The United States called him and said we want you to step down which is crazy because if he steps down there's nobody to step in, so the Biden administration is making it up as it goes along in my opinion.

'First they resisted all calls for him to step down, now they are telling him he has to step down. There is nobody behind him there is no transitional government you could have gangs take over the whole country. 

'Meanwhile we are all stuck here, there's no airplanes there's no helicopters there's no anything. Everyone including our orphanage and other people are quite frightened.'

Politicians across the region are scrambling for a solution, as dogs have been seen gnawing on the unaddressed dead, and bodies are burned in the streets

Meanwhile, gangs across the country continue to unite, causing thousands to flee their homes

A woman lies on the pavement as she mourns a family member shot dead by unknown assailants in Port-au-Prince Friday. As of writing, the city is said to be almost completely controlled by insurgents

'We are seriously trapped,' said Richard Phillips, a 65-year-old from the Canadian capital, Ottawa, who has traveled to Haiti more than three dozen times to work on projects for the United Nations, USAID and now, a Haitian nonprofit called Papyrus. He is among 3,000 Canadians trapped in the country.

After arriving in Haiti in late February, Phillips flew to the southern coastal city of Les Cayes to teach farmers and others how to operate and repair tractors, cultivators, planters and other machinery in an area known for its corn, rice, peas and beans.

Once his work was done, Phillips flew to the capital, Port-au-Prince, only to find that his flight had been canceled. He stayed at a nearby hotel, but the gunfire was relentless, so he moved on to a safer area.

'We are actually quite concerned about where this is going. If the police force collapses, there's going to be anarchy in the streets, and we might be here a month or more.'

Scores of people have been killed in the gang attacks led by Jimmy 'Barbecue' Cherizier that began February 29, and more than 15,000 people have been left homeless by the violence.

Locals have reported the overwhelming stench of the dead, with dogs seen gnawing on unaddressed bodies in the street.

Earlier this week, Haiti's government extended a state of emergency and nightly curfew to try and quell the violence, but the attacks continue.

Gangs have burned police stations, released more than 4,000 inmates from Haiti's two biggest prisons and attacked Port-au-Prince's main airport, which remains closed.

As the stench permeates throughout the country, a morgue director told The Washington Post how he has received 20 calls in the past week from residents asking him to pick up bodies

Earlier this week, Haiti's government extended a state of emergency and nightly curfew to try and quell the violence, but the attacks continue

Jimmy Cherizier - a powerful Haitian gang leader - warned last Tuesday that the chaos engulfing the capital Port-au-Prince will lead to civil war and 'genocide' unless PM Ariel Henry resigns

Henry tendered his resignation Monday, a week after the growing coalition of gangs warned of civil war if he did not step down.

Cherizier warned that Henry's continued presence in government would lead to 'genocide' in the country after the Prime Minister flew to Kenya seeking support for a foreign police intervention that he said would have restored order enough so that a new round of elections could be held. 

Henry took power in 2021 following the assassination of Haiti's previous Prime Minister Jovenel Moise and had promised to step down by February 7 but postponed elections citing safety concerns.

'If Ariel Henry doesn't resign, if the international community continues to support him, we'll be heading straight for a civil war that will lead to genocide,' Cherizier, a former police officer, told reporters in the capital.

'Either Haiti becomes a paradise or a hell for all of us. It's out of the question for a small group of rich people living in big hotels to decide the fate of people living in working-class neighborhoods,' the 46-year-old added.

Cherizier, who is under UN sanctions for human rights abuses and who denies his nickname has anything to do with burning people alive, has claimed responsibility for the latest surge in attacks in the nation long gripped by conflict.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken talks with Jamaica's Prime Minister Andrew Holness at the Pegasus Hotel during a meeting on Haiti at the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in Kingston, Jamaica, on Monday

A protester burns tires during a demonstration calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry in Port-au-Prince on February 7 - the date Henry had agreed to relinquish power

He issued a chilling warning to anyone believed to be aiding Henry.

'Woe betide anyone who hides a politician who collaborates with Ariel Henry in their hotels,' he said.

Last year, more than 8,400 people were reported killed, injured or kidnapped, more than double the number reported in 2022.

Henry is currently unable to return home, stranded in Puerto Rico since Tuesday after officials deemed it unsafe for him to land in the Dominican Republic. 

The neighboring island is being asked to pause the deportations of thousands of Haitians, including some children who have been sent back alone, amid the violence.

Over the weekend, Haitian political, religious and civil leaders met with CARICOM Caribbean Community and US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to decide how best to restore stability.

A presidential transitional council will be set up consisting of two observers and seven voting members representing a range of Haitian society, according to CARICOM chair Irfan Ali.