Haiti prime minister promises jobs in answer to unrest

PORT-AU-PRINCE: Haiti’s Prime Minister Jean-Henry Ceant promised a crash programme to create jobs in poor neighborhoods after a tense week marred by violence and protests against the government.

In a speech posted on Facebook, Ceant said public works programmes to clean canals, build roads and pick up trash will begin tomorrow.

“These are jobs that will be created, economic activity that will be started, and the country will be put back in shape,” he said.

The message comes a day after clashes in Port-au-Prince between police and protesters that left several vehicles ablaze and a police officer injured by a firebomb.

Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, has been gripped by tension since large-scale protests on Nov 18 sent tens of thousands into the streets to demand the resignation of President Jovenel Moise. The opposition says 11 people were killed during those demonstrations, while the police confirmed three deaths.

Public unrest has mounted in recent months, fueled by high inflation and a sharp devaluation of the national currency, which has hit people’s pocketbooks especially hard in the country that imports most of what it consumes.

The protests initially focused on demands for action against government corruption, but increasingly they have set their sights on Moise. — AFP