Haiti: Rival Gangs, Riots Keep Some Areas in Panic

January 30, 2024 Hour: 5:39 pm

On Tuesday, official data shows that rivalry between criminal gangs and anti-government riots against Prime Minister Ariel Henry are causing panic in some Haitian towns, where residents are now avoiding leaving their homes.

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Although at times the gunshots and gunfire cease to be heard, the tense situation persists in the capital, which is led by the leader of a gang, Jimmy Chérisier, known as Barbecue, and the armed groups of Chalé, La Saline and Wharf Jérémie.

On the other hand, revolted citizens demanded the resignation of the Prime Minister the day before, and the sound of firearms could be heard in several points of the country.

The inhabitants of the towns of Trou-du-Nord, Terrier-Rouge, Fort-Liberté and Ouanaminthe blocked streets, roads and highways, and commercial activities forcibly ceased, while schools did not open their doors to receive students.

Very early in Ouanaminthe shots were heard, but health authorities did not report any deaths or wounded arriving at health centers.

UN documented 4,789 people killed by gang violence in #Haiti in 2023, an increase of 119% from 2022 and another 3,000 people had been kidnapped. So many crimes are unreported, these numbers are low. https://t.co/BMNuFe4Dtp

— Nicole Phillips (@BuddhistLawyer)
January 30, 2024

With the aim of overthrowing Henry, the opposition tried since yesterday to paralyze the Antillean nation for five consecutive days, and to turn the capital into a ghost city.

The call was issued by former senator Jean Charles Moïse to resume the anti-government mobilizations not only in Port-au-Prince, but throughout the national territory.

The leader of the “Pitit Desalin” Platform reiterated that the objective of the street revolts is the same, to overthrow the government of Henry, and to put an end to the bourgeois domination.

Charles Moïse asked the Haitian population to close the doors of public institutions without distinction, and ruled out any possibility of peaceful demonstrations, which will have no time, no route, no destination.

The former senator advised the police not to interfere in this popular battle to prop up Henry, who is leading a mandate loaded with criminality, corruption and without stability.