Gang Violence Grips Haiti

Gangs aiming to oust Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry wreaked havoc in the capital Port-au-Prince, as gun attacks near the city's international airport and a prison marked a second day of extreme violence.

At least four police officers were killed and dozens have been wounded since the latest spate of brutality began, with Henry meanwhile in Kenya mustering support for a UN-backed international police deployment.

Armed gangs have taken over entire swaths of the country in recent years, unleashing extreme violence that has left the Haitian economy and public health system in tatters.

The latest attacks are part of a coordinated effort by gangs, united under the label "Vivre Ensemble".

Powerful gang leader Jimmy Cherisier, known by the nickname Barbecue, said in a video posted on social media before the violence began that the armed groups were acting in concert "to get Prime Minister Ariel Henry to step down."

Back in Haiti, approximately 10 police officers protested in front of management offices, demanding recovery of the bodies of their four slain colleagues.

Streets across Port-au-Prince meanwhile were blocked by barricades of burning ties.

The State University Hospital of Haiti, one of the largest public hospitals in the capital, received at least 25 wounded people, according to a source.

At two facilities run by Doctors Without Borders in the Tabarre and Cite Soleil districts the number of patients remained the same as normal -- approximately 15 per day.

But "the injured come from everywhere now. There are no more quiet areas," Mumuza Muhindo, the NGO's head of mission, said.

"It's becoming difficult for our staff to get into our centers," he said.

At Toussaint-Louverture International Airport flights to the United States and Dominican Republic resumed , a source close to the airlines said.