Some 2,000 protesters took to the streets in the Haitian capital and other cities on Monday (22). They blocked roads and closed businesses to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry and a better quality of life.
AP reporters watched as an unidentified man shot a protester in Port-au-Prince before fleeing in a car, and the crowd temporarily dispersed. Protester Lionel Jean-Pierre witnessed the incident and said things were out of control in Haiti.
“The families don’t know what to do,” he declared as the crowd around him chanted, “If Ariel doesn’t leave, we will die!”
Violence and kidnappings have increased in recent months in and around Port-au-Prince due to gang violence, a conflict that has claimed the lives of hundreds of civilians. Since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse last year, the gangs have grown even more substantial.
Poverty has also worsened: inflation is running at 29 percent a year, while prices for some staples, such as rice, have more than quadrupled. Gasoline remains scarce, costing US$15 per gallon (US$3.95 per liter) when available.
The protests come several days after dozens of demonstrators staged a sit-in outside Henry’s official residence to demand his resignation. Clashes broke out between police and protesters in some areas Monday, with tear gas used to disperse the crowd.
Demonstrators burned tires and blocked some roads. In light of this situation, the United Nations announced last Friday that it would provide US$5 million from its Haiti Emergency Relief Fund to save the lives of tens of thousands of people immobilized by the war between criminal gangs in the capital.
Since last July, clashes between these gangs have killed hundreds of people, particularly in Cité-Soleil in the greater Port-au-Prince area. Added to this is the critical humanitarian situation in the country, exacerbated a year ago by the earthquake that devastated the southern region.
Some 280,000 people have been severely affected by gang violence, which has affected their access to food, water, and medical care, according to Jens Laerke, spokesman for the U.N. Office for Humanitarian Affairs in Geneva.
Between 1 and 1.5 million people live in neighborhoods controlled by criminal gangs.
The US$5 million allocation will improve the situation of about 100,000 people, and the U.N. hopes it will be a wake-up call for the situation in Haiti and convince donors (countries and institutions) to help people in this country, which is among the poorest in the world.
The United Nations has requested US$373 million to address the most urgent needs of the Haitian people through 2022 but has received only 14 percent of the funds.