The deal was signed even as a wave of panic hit the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, leading to the closure of schools and cancellation of flights.
Known as "Barbecue", Haiti's gang leader Jimmy Cherisier publicised the attack in a social media video just before the battles began. The move came during the absence of the Prime Minister, who is in Nairobi to finalize details for the deployment of a foreign armed force to Haiti to help combat gangs, as reported by Al Jazeera.