Anarchy, gang violence bring Haiti to ‘standstill’
Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince was engulfed in intense gunfire as residents frantically sought refuge during the recent surge of gang violence in the capital sparked by the absence of prime minister Ariel Henry.
Gunshots were heard throughout the capital late Friday, especially concentrated in the southwestern districts of Turgeau, Pacot, Lalue and Canape-Vert, AFP reported.
Chaos spread among frightened locals who ran for shelter, while clashes “between police officers and bandits” took place as gangs apparently tried to subdue police stations in the city center, it further reported.
The humanitarian situation further worsened as armed groups unleashed widespread chaos in the long-troubled Caribbean nation last week.
Aid groups and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) have raised concerns about the scarcity of medical resources and food supplies.
Criminal organizations, which have established dominance over a significant portion of the capital and the connecting roads to other parts of the nation, have launched assaults on critical infrastructure in the past few days, along with targeting two prisons, resulting in the escape of the majority of the 3,800 inmates.
The groups, in addition to several regular Haitian citizens, are demanding that Prime Minister Ariel Henry step down from his position, backed by gang alliance G9 head, Jimmy “Barbecue” Cherizier.
Originally scheduled to step down in February, Henry opted to enter into a power-sharing agreement with the opposition until new elections can take place.
The island nation is facing a severe hunger crisis, along with surging cholera, and low fuel scares.
The UN warned Friday that thousands of people, especially pregnant women, are in danger of losing vital health care as the crisis drags on.
“If greater Port-au-Prince remains at a standstill in the coming weeks, almost 3,000 pregnant women could be denied access to essential health care, and almost 450 could face life-threatening obstetric complications if they do not receive medical assistance,” the UN’s office in Haiti said in a statement.
Political experts are blaming the United States for the violence Haiti is experiencing these days, as the US has historically acted towards Haiti as a semi-colony, and has backed several regimes that have led to the country’s downfall, notably the regime of Papa Doc Duvalier.
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