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Clashes between gangs in Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital, have left at least 20 people dead and dozens injured so far this week. Faced with the power vacuum that followed the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021, criminal gangs are trying to control areas of the city, which has resulted in an upsurge in violence and kidnappings, a situation that has forced thousands of people to run away from their homes.
An acting government that seems impotent and asks for international help in the face of power-hungry gangs. This scenario marks the latest wave of violence in Haiti.
A new series of clashes between criminal gangs in various neighborhoods of Port-au-Prince, which began last Sunday, April 24, has left at least 20 people dead and several injured so far this week.
Among the victims is a family of eight people, six of them children, authorities said.
In addition, at least a dozen houses were burned in the northern neighborhoods of the capital, where thousands have been forced to flee their homes, the country’s Civil Protection Agency said.
Schools and businesses in the area continue to be closed and hundreds of families with minors remain sheltered in a park near the local Mayor’s Office.
“They need water, food, supplies. They had to leave with nothing in their hands (…) Now I can see children crying from hunger and families have nothing to give them,” said Jean Raymond Dorcely, who runs a small community organization.
The eruption in violence comes amid the power vacuum following the July 7 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. https://t.co/lK7m7AHrMW
— HuffPost Politics (@HuffPostPol) April 28, 2022
The rounds of gunfire from criminal groups also hit an empty United Nations Humanitarian Air Service helicopter near the capital’s airport.
As if that were not enough, since the fighting is centered in the area of the only road that connects Port-au-Prince with the north of the country, as well as with the Dominican Republic, the authorities warn of a possible loss of access to that part of the nation if fighting intensifies.
Given the violent clashes in the community of Martissant, south of the capital, access to the southern region, which is trying to recover from the tragic earthquake of 2021, has already been interrupted.
Violent gangs fueled by a political vacuum
The gangs have intensified their battle, which includes murders, robberies and kidnappings, in order to control areas beyond their neighborhoods, given the power vacuum in the country after the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, which occurred on July 7, 2021. .
This scenario has both enraged and frustrated Haitian citizens who are calling on the incumbent government, preceded by Prime Minister Ariel Henry, to take action.
The Executive seems to be overcome before the violent ones. Currently receiving international aid to strengthen the police force, while pointing to a lack of personnel and resources to address the situation.
Several civic groups condemned the violence and warned of an escalation. Haiti’s Office for Citizen Protection (OPC) criticized the actions of the gangs and criticized political leaders for what it calls inaction.
The OPC indicated that the silence of political leaders has brought a “form of cynicism or contempt for human rights, particularly the right to life and security.”
This panorama adds to the worsening of poverty and the growing diaspora of Haitians who seek better opportunities in other countries.
“The conflict will probably intensify in the coming days, causing higher casualties and more migrants from the population,” warned the Civil Protection Agency.
With AP and local media
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