Today, the situation in Port-au-Prince is chaotic, as downtown on Grand Rue and near Bicentennaire there is a scene of panic, with cars, motorcycles and persons running away because of heavy shooting. On Lalue, demonstrators are burning tires and calling for de facto Prime Minister Ariel Henry’s resignation. In Bourdon, barricades with tires burning have blocked traffic and persons are rushing to retrieve their children from nearby schools; heavy gunfire punctuates the air, adding to the sense of panic experienced by many.
This is a reflection of the chaos reigning in Haiti, particularly the Port-au-Prince region, because of the uncertain political situation. A de facto President has been selected by participants of the Montana Accord who have chosen Fritz Jean as interim president and Steven Benoit as de facto Prime Minister. Of course this selection is not the will of the population, but the choice of a group of organizations belonging to the so called civil sector. It’s an attempt for them to become relevant in political decision making which is mostly made by the Core group of countries looking to reduce Haiti to the level of a colony. According to those foreign tutors, Haitians cannot govern themselves, so the Core bosses must choose leaders for the country, and pass laws that will favor the takeover of the country’s resources, especially minerals and oil. The Montana Accord claims to look for ways for Haitians to start coming together to take control of the political spectrum, but many of the persons who are participating in the accord are controlled by foreign bosses who tell them what to do. The so called civil society is mostly funded by the U.S. and the French through grants, with Canada increasing its control lately.
While politicians of all kinds are fighting each other for the crumbs that will be left by the real bosses, foreigners with plans for Haiti’s wealth, the country is swimming in garbage, all the while the population suffers from insecurity and environmental disaster. Last weekend diluvial rain transformed large parts of Cap Haitien into a lake, with many houses flooded. Persons there lost a lot of personal effects when water entered homes and flooded first floors in many neighborhoods. Nothing has been done for the long term recovery of places in the south which were destroyed by the earthquake a few months ago. Life goes on in a country bathed in garbage.
Martissant is experiencing chaos and fear today because of heavy shooting, and a fire is raging between Martissant 21 and Fontamara. Persons are running away from the area and heavy gunfire is heard, according to radio reports from Zenith FM. There are a few casualties, as a couple of people have been brought to the hospital, but no one can go to the area to give a precise account of persons hurt or killed because of the shooting. Is the display of violence because of Magalie Habitant called in by authorities for corruption? No one can say so for sure, but her lawyers are using the insecurity to avoid showing up. Habitant is accused of corruption while she was in charge of the agency controlling garbage removal. A lot of money was diverted and the Court to control administrative affairs published a report saying Habitant is accused of corruption. Moreover, she has been associated with many persons with gang affiliations, and we all remember how she drove alone in the middle of the night to pick up two Dominicans and their translator who were released from capture from kidnappers.
Persons are dying in Haiti almost everyday, and according to a report compiled by Dr. Dabanski, as heard on the air, fifty or more people were killed in the country during the month of January, and the count does not include those persons killed by the gangs, and the bodies tossed or set on fire. That’s a lot of people killed in one month. Hunger is spreading in the slums and in the countryside where famine has started in some areas. There appears to be a plan to starve a good deal of the population, while the gangs prevent the population from organizing economic activities to feed themselves. In the towns, the price of food is forcing many persons to be malnourished, causing them to become weak and susceptible to many diseases. The environment is full of garbage, so germs are everywhere, and most people don’t even have enough water to wash themselves thoroughly.
Will February seventh signal a change? On that day, de facto Prime Minister Ariel Henry will lose whatever veneer of legality he has in occupying his post. He was supposedly selected by deceased de facto president Jovenel Moise whose mandate ended in 2021, but who refused to give up power until February Seventh 2022. So after the Seventh he will have no legal right to stay as Prime Minister according to the constitution. Politicians opposed to Ariel Henry will demand that he resign, and the police, which is the only legal force in the country will be in a bind. Either the Haitian National Police supports Ariel Henry in illegally staying on, or it removes him from his post, but with no one clearly ready to assume interim power. In either case, you can bet the Blan has something cooking and only popular mobilizing will stop that nefarious plan.
#netwayeAyiti2024. All together with a goal in mind
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