(Port-au-Prince) New violence and looting erupted Friday in different cities in Haiti, after the government’s decision to increase the price of fuel, demonstrators going so far as to loot a warehouse of the World Food Program (WFP ) of ONU.
Posted yesterday at 7:08 p.m.
This warehouse located in Gonaives, the third largest city in the country, contained 1,400 tons of food. He was targeted Thursday by protesters, while street anger was expressed in the capital Port-au-Prince and various other provincial towns.
In a statement released on Friday, WFP condemned the attack on its office and the looting of its warehouse in Gonaives, stressing that the food was intended for school meal programs and for the most vulnerable families and children in Haiti, a nation that sinks deeper into crisis every day.
“This incident is simply unacceptable. The looted food was to feed nearly 100,000 schoolchildren until the end of the year,” said Jean-Martin Bauer, director of WFP in Haiti, quoted in the statement.
Scenes of looting were seen elsewhere in Gonaïves and Saint-Marc, two main towns in the Artibonite department. According to the daily Le Nouvellistethe premises of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), several congregational schools, a public university and several businesses, were ransacked and looted.
The Haitian capital has recorded its fourth consecutive day of violence. Since Tuesday, protesters have attacked businesses and buildings housing public institutions.
On Thursday, protesters attacked and looted the premises of the National Television of Haiti (TNH) and an office of the National Archives. Several stores, shops and other businesses were also looted and burned.
Between Wednesday and Thursday, the residences of two close to the government, the lawyer André Michel and the former senator Edmonde Beauzile, were ransacked and looted. The residence of Ricard Pierre, Minister of Planning and External Cooperation of the government, was also attacked. A press release issued by André Michel, one of these victims, confirmed these three attacks.
In a message published Friday, the UN Secretary General said he was “concerned about the situation in Haiti”, through the voice of his spokesperson.
Antonio Guterres called for calm and the utmost restraint, urging “all stakeholders to take immediate action to de-escalate the situation, avoid violence and allow the Haitian National Police to fulfill its mandate to protect the population. “, According to this press release.