Protests Erupt in Haiti After Police Killed in Gang Violence

Protesters blocked streets and burned tires in Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince on Tuesday after 11 police officers were killed over the past week in gang violence that continues to plague the Caribbean nation.

Protesters blocked roads around the capital and in several northern cities, and local media reported that police officers – angry at the lack of government support to combat gangs – were leading the protests.

A group of protesters arrived at the official residence of Prime Minister Ariel Henry and then left for the Port-au-Prince airport, according to a witness from Reuters.

The Haitian National Police and the Prime Minister’s Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The Vitelhomme gang killed four police officers near the capital last week, while shootouts with the Savien crime group in the city of Liancourt left seven more officers dead on Wednesday, according to reports by the Haitian National Police and local media.

The agitation occurs when the United Nations analyzes the sending of a foreign force to confront Haitian criminal groups, a proposal that was originally made three months ago.

No country has offered to lead the contingent.

Connect with the Voice of America! Subscribe to our channel Youtube and activate notifications, or follow us on social networks: Facebook, Twitter and instagram.