Several embassies temporarily close their doors in Haiti amid exacerbated violence

First modification: 09/16/2022 – 01:37

Faced with the crisis unleashed in Haiti since last Sunday the prime minister announced a rise in fuel prices, several embassies have already announced their temporary closure due to the deterioration of the situation in Port-au-Prince, which includes protests, violence and road closures.

The countries that, for the moment, have reported that they will temporarily close their doors are Spain, France, Canada, Mexico and the neighboring Dominican Republic. Also Taiwan, whose government is internationally recognized by only 14 countries, including Haiti, reported the closure of its headquarters.

On his Twitter account, the French ambassador in Port-au-Prince, Fabrice Mauriès, assured that “these events” had led them to “close the Embassy services to the public from now until further notice.” The diplomat also urged the French in Haitian territory to limit their movements and stock up on basic necessities.

The embassy of the Dominican Republic also recommended that its fellow citizens in the Caribbean country “be cautious, limit their movements and carry basic necessities with them as much as possible.”

For its part, the Spanish delegation indicated that it is closed due to “the demonstrations that Port-au-Prince continues to experience” and indicated that the measure will remain in force “until further notice.”

The price of fuel, catalyst for a new wave of protests

The capital has been involved in different demonstrations, after the announcement by the Prime Minister, Ariel Henry, of the rise in fuel prices in the country. The violence in the streets has led to vandalism and looting.

Although it is not yet known when the change will take effect, the prices per gallon of gasoline, diesel and kerosene have already been published. This rise will also have an impact on the price of public transport, on basic necessities and on the market in general.

The already acute economic, sociopolitical and institutional crisis of the poorest country in the region, in which 43% of the population needs humanitarian aid to survive, was aggravated by the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021.

Criminal gangs and their struggle for territorial dominance

In the midst of this panorama, a weighty element are criminal gangs, which have taken over much of the territory and are fighting for control of the streets of Port-au-Prince, with barricades blocking the way and exposing citizens to insecurity. extreme.

The conflict between groups has left more than 300 dead and more than 3,000 homeless in recent months. In addition, this has caused the Government not to have access to all the territories or to all the sectors of the capital, in a situation that bites its own tail, since the lack of presence of the State further encourages the actions of actors on the margin. of the law.

On Tuesday, the shooting in the streets forced the residents of Port-au-Prince to shelter in their homes and on Wednesday the activities of public and private companies were canceled due to the increase in violence, and schools postponed the start of classes for October .

The Haitian Ministry of Communication assured that the measure announced by Henry seeks to weaken the power of criminal gangs. “The adjustment of the price of gasoline is the only way to end the black market. Public action will be taken against those who participate in the black market, the diversion of petroleum products,” the portfolio posted on Twitter.

Since he began his transition term, the prime minister has already increased the price of fuel twice, which deepens the difficult situation in the country of 11.4 million people and fuels social discontent.

When the cost of hydrocarbons rose in December, Henry promised that he would invest in both school and health infrastructure in order to improve the living conditions of citizens, but so far the promises have not been fulfilled.

Inflation has also skyrocketed, the biggest rise in the last decade.

In the last three months, the population has faced fuel shortages, due to the fact that importers seek to collect the subsidies that keep prices low and the impossibility of obtaining dollars from the Central Bank.

According to the demonstrators, this situation is caused by the Government itself, which, for some sectors of the population, is seeking to increase the prices of petroleum derivatives.

Protests have also been held in Cayes, Petit-Goave and Jérémie. Precisely in Petit-Goave, the demonstrators attacked the headquarters of the Banque Nationale de Crédit, Electricité d’Haiti and Sogebank, in addition to burning documents from the Peace Court.

With EFE and Reuters