Haitian gangs laid siege to several Port-au-Prince neighborhoods, exchanging gunfire with police for hours and burning homes as hundreds fled the violence.

The majority of Haiti's transition council who had nominated an interim prime minister earlier this week has walked back the decision, exposing the internal turmoil of the group charged with leading the Caribbean nation out of a prolonged crisis.

A majority bloc within Haiti’s newly installed presidential council is doing an about-face on its selection of the country’s next prime minister, saying it will return to the original political agreement to choose the leader of the transitional government from a pool of applicants.