(Port-au-Prince) The national police of Haiti announced on Friday that they had regained control of the country’s largest oil terminal, which had been under the control of armed gangs since mid-September. Clashes were still ongoing in the area, but the operation offers a small glimmer of hope to a capital struggling with a humanitarian and economic crisis, to which is added a wave of cholera.
Posted at 5:00 a.m.
Approaching on foot towards the “Aviation” crossroads on Thursday morning, Francesca Joseph saw stationary Haitian National Police vehicles, including armored vehicles. The 27-year-old mother was going to the biggest market in the capital, nearby, where she sells peppers and onions.
“And then, all of a sudden, it started shooting, and not just a few bullets. » Mme Joseph had to turn back quickly.
“Everyone was running, some pedestrians fell to the ground. I ran upstairs. »
She has not returned to the market since, due to the shooting that continued throughout the day on Friday.
It is not known the exact number of victims during the police operation which would have started on Wednesday. At least one terminal employee was injured, Haitian police said Friday.
“The many bullets that were fired are proof of the determination [que l’on a] to unblock Varreux, ”explains in a post on the official Facebook account of the National Police of Haiti. The text is accompanied by photos of armed police in front of the Varreux oil installations. Some of the six Canadian-built armored vehicles delivered by the Canadian and US military two weeks ago were used in the operation, confirms a Canadian diplomatic source.
“For the moment, we have control of all Varreux, teams are rotating, and during the next week, the delivery of gas will be able to begin”, said Friday a senior police officer joined by The Press.
A serious shortage of gasoline has disrupted the water supply for two months, in addition to blocking the entire economy. All the textile factories in the capital are shut down this week and the start of the fall school year has still not started in Haiti, for most schools.
Waiting for gasoline
“The majority of my pumps have been vandalized in connection with certain demonstrations,” said a service station owner contacted by The Press Friday, who requested anonymity. Numerous protests followed the government’s announcement in September of a more than double hike in gasoline prices.
“Most of the breakage is related to the screens on the pumps, parts that are not found in the country in large quantities,” explains the man who has had several points of sale for more than 20 years.
He fears a slower than expected recovery, especially since the very strong demand maintains a parallel black market. “If people think that as of Monday there will be fuel in all the stations, we don’t see it like that,” he said. Everything depends on the support of the oil companies. »
Two politicians sanctioned by Canada and the United States
In parallel, the United States and Canada placed two names Friday on a list of people sanctioned because of their alleged link to criminal activities in Haiti. The assets of Senate President Joseph Lambert and former senator Youri Latortue are now frozen, the two countries said. They are also prohibited from entering Canada and the United States.
“Canada has reason to believe that these individuals are using their status as former or current public office holders to protect and enable the illegal activities of armed criminal gangs,” according to the statement from Global Affairs Canada.
These gangs and their supporters terrorize vulnerable populations in Haiti with impunity, and precipitate a humanitarian crisis in Haiti that includes the resurgence of cholera on the island.
Excerpt from Global Affairs Canada press release
Youri Latortue, part of whose legal training was done in Quebec, spoke Friday on a private radio station in Port-au-Prince. He claims to be persecuted for political reasons.
“The question of intervention [étrangère] arose and you know my position [contre]I believe that this position bothered them,” defended the former senator from the Artibonite region.
We impose sanctions on Haitian political elites who provide financial and operational support to armed gangs. Canada will not sit idly by as they terrorize the population with impunity and precipitate a humanitarian crisis.
Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada
The US Treasury more specifically accuses Mr. Latortue of having been “involved in the trafficking of cocaine from Colombia to Haiti” and of having “incited others to commit acts of violence in his name”. The drug trafficking case of Senator Joseph Lambert, still in office, dates back “two decades”, according to the United States.
Due to its porous borders and mostly unpatrolled coastlines, Haiti has been a cocaine hub to North America and Europe for many years.
“I am very happy that we are trying to put an end to these stories of violence, it causes a lot of problems”, hopes Francesca Joseph. She is also worried in the short term about the lack of food on the table for her children after she has had no income for two days. “I would at least like the arms to stop in the country. We can no longer live. »