Haiti’s president addresses nation amid violent protests
HAITI - Haitian President Jovenel Moise has broken his silence after a week of violent protests demanding his resignation. In an address from the presidential palace on Thursday, Moise vowed not to “give the country up to armed groups and drug traffickers,” alluding to government officials whom he said took to the streets along with “heads of gangs wanted by the law.”
“I heard the voice of the people. I know the problems that torment them. That’s why the government has taken many measures,” he said. “I asked the prime minister to explain them and to apply them without delay to relieve misery.” Since February 7, at least seven people have died as the country plunged into political crisis, with everyday life paralyzed as a result of protests and barricades set up in the largest towns.
The US State Department on Thursday ordered out all non-emergency US personnel and their families amid the spiraling unrest. Canada said it was closing its embassy in Port-au-Prince on Thursday due to “current volatility,” but would “continue to assess the situation in the coming days.”
The demonstrators, angry about skyrocketing inflation and the alleged theft of nearly $2bn in Venezuelan oil relief to the island, are demanding Moise’s resignation. “Why are people so angry? A lot of it has to do with the PetroCaribe scandal where billions of dollars in money that was allocated for social development projects is simply unaccounted for. So, not only are Haitians calling for the resignation of the president, saying that they have zero confidence left in the government, what they are asking is where that money went,” he said. Moise, a 50-year-old former entrepreneur who set up a string of businesses in the north of Haiti, where he hails from, burst on to the political stage two years ago with a populist message of building up the impoverished Caribbean nation. (Al Jazeera)