Haiti central bank raid leaves at least three dead

Police in Haiti have killed at least three people while repelling an attack on the country's central bank.

A "group of criminals" targeted the Bank of the Republic of Haiti (BRH) on Monday, an employee told AFP, leaving up to four dead and a guard injured.

The bank itself thanked security forces for "protecting our community".

Haiti has been rocked by weeks of violence after gangs raided prisons, released thousands of inmates and forced the prime minister to resign.

In a statement on X, BRH said: "Following an incident yesterday near [our] site on Rue Pavee, security forces and the bank's security team acted with professionalism and efficiency."

The bank is one of a few key institutions still running in Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince, where hundreds of hospitals have closed.

BRH added that it was "deeply grateful to our officers and the state police for their vigilance".

The employee, who spoke to AFP on the condition of anonymity, said "three or four" of the criminal gang had been killed in the attack.

They also told the news agency that the injured guard had sustained gunshot wounds.

BBC News was not able to independently verify these claims.

Haitian police have been trying to recapture areas held by notorious gang leader Jimmy Chérizier, nicknamed "Barbecue".

The power struggle has led to an uptick in violence - including gun fights - on the streets of Haiti, a country which struggled with gang violence long before the recent crisis.

Haitians told the BBC they could see no end to what is happening in the Caribbean country, with Port-au-Prince and the surrounding region under a month-long state of emergency.

Last week, Prime Minister Ariel Henry agreed to step aside to allow the formation of an interim government, following mounting pressure from neighbouring Caribbean countries. Haiti's last election was in 2016.

Mr Henry had not been allowed back into Haiti after leaving in late January for visits to Guyana and Kenya, where he had signed a deal on the deployment of an international security force to help quell the violence.

Meanwhile, the US State Department announced over the weekend that it planned to charter a flight to rescue its remaining citizens stranded in Haiti.

It came after Washington airlifted its non-essential embassy staff from Port-au-Prince a few days earlier.