(Port-au-Prince) The police of Haiti continued Thursday an operation in order to unblock the most important oil terminal of the country, under the control for several months of armed gangs paralyzing the distribution of fuel.
Posted at 9:43 p.m.
“The operation had started the day before. We managed to take control of the facilities on Thursday,” a police source told AFP. “We will continue the operation to clear the roads. »
Sporadic gunfire was heard in the area throughout the day, but police said they had not yet identified any deaths or injuries among members of the armed groups.
While a government source also confirmed a police operation was underway, authorities have not officially commented.
The Varreux oil terminal, located southwest of the capital Port-au-Prince, supplies most of the petroleum products consumed in Haiti. He had fallen into the hands of gang leader Jimmy Chérizier, nicknamed “Barbecue”, on September 12.
The infrastructure blockage had since led to a near paralysis of the country, aggravating the security, political and humanitarian crisis in the impoverished Caribbean country.
The lack of fuel has also interrupted the distribution of drinking water, crucial in the fight against cholera, the cases of which have recently exploded in Haiti.
Discussions are underway at the United Nations regarding the possible dispatch of an international armed force to the country, after a call to this effect from the Haitian government.