Police try to break blockade of fuel plant in Haiti

The Haitian National Police was trying to disperse a gang that has surrounded a terminal of fuel distribution in Port-au-Prince for almost two months. It was not immediately clear whether government forces managed to lift the blockade, which has been devastating to the economy.

In a voice message sent to Associated Press, Police Chief Frantz Elbé congratulated the officers who participated in the operation to expel the members of the G9 gang, led by Jimmy Cherizier, a former police officer nicknamed “Barbacoa”. The gang demands the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry.

On Thursday there was a shooting in the area that resonated throughout the capital. At first it was not clear if there were deaths or if the gang had been totally expelled from the place.

“We won a fight, but it’s not over,” Elbé said.

Police and Henry’s office spokesmen did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Local radio stations said that calm reigned in the area where the fuel terminal is located.

The lack of fuel has forced the closure of gas stations. Hospitals have been unable to provide critical services amid a cholera outbreak that has killed dozens of people and sickened thousands.

The situation has alarmed foreign governments, which in recent weeks have sent aid to the National Police, including armored vehicles, to combat the gangs, which have grown in power since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021.

Until now, foreign governments they have not responded to Henry’s request to send troops.

Two weeks ago, the UN Security Council passed a resolution which demands an immediate end to violence and criminal activity in Haiti and sanctions Cherizier with travel restrictions, asset freezes and an arms embargo.

Additionally, the US Treasury Department on Friday announced sanctions on the president of the Haitian Senate and a former senator over allegations that they abused their positions to traffic drugs in collaboration with gangs and that they encouraged others to commit acts of violence.

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