No word from Haiti’s president as fear paralyses capital
PORT-AU-PRINCE: Sporadic gunfire echoed through the streets of Port-au-prince as the government remained silent in the face of protests that have paralysed the Haitian capital and triggered rising violence.
The normally traffic-clogged streets were largely empty as schools, shops and municipal offices were shuttered for fear of more violence that has already left several people dead and an air of uncertainty hanging over the government of President Jovenel Moise.
Barricades have sprung up in some areas of the capital and other cities, as protesters have taken to the streets demanding the president step down over reports of mismanagement and possible embezzlement of development funds in the impoverished Caribbean nation.
After a quiet but tense start to the day, hundreds of youths from the capital’s poorer quarters marched toward Petionville, the wealthiest neighbourhood in Port-au-prince, throwing stones at houses until police opened fire with tear gas rounds to break up the march.
Police also thwarted an attempt to attack a bank during the demonstration, dragging away several blood-stained suspects and making five arrests.
Since the opposition organised widespread demonstrations last week to mark two years of Moise’s presidency, smaller and more spontaneous protests have broken out in key urban centres.
In some places, young men have erected barricades and seized bypassers for ransom, while vehicles have been torched, and shops damaged and looted, creating a climate of fear and intimidation alongside the opposition protests. Taking advantage of the chaos, there was some looting on Monday — but traders still felt anger only toward the president.
“What we are enduring today is because of Jovenel (Moise)... they are hungry,” said Joseph, whose stock of fish was totally depleted, of those who stole his goods.
“By selling what they took from me, they are going to be able to relieve their families a bit.” “We don’t have good leaders: If there was work in the country, this would never have happened,” he said.
Later on, private sector associations deplored what they described as “legitimate popular anger that is unfortunately wrongly directed to companies that create jobs,” and called for political dialogue.
Meanwhile, Catholic bishops appealed to the “civic conscience of the different parties” to make a “patriotic decision.” Demonstrators are demanding Moise quits over a scandal centring on the Petrocaribe fund, under which Venezuela supplied Haiti and other Caribbean and Central American countries with oil at cut-rate prices and on easy credit terms for years.
Investigations have shown that nearly $2 billion from the programme were misused.
A report released in January on the misuse of the money also named a company that was then headed by Moise as a beneficiary of funds from a road construction project that never had a signed contract.
During his election campaign, Moise promised “food on every plate and money in every pocket,” yet most Haitians still struggle to make ends meet and face inflation that has risen 15 percent since his election. ‘A DANGER AND A THREAT’ “We call on the police to arrest Jovenel Moise because he represents a danger and a threat to the life of every Haitian,” said Andre Michel, one of the main opposition leaders.