[ad_1]
The Haitian government on Saturday called for calm and "patience" after the violence that paralyzed Port-au-Prince, the capital of the island, and at least one death. These events follow a major rise in the prices of petroleum products in this country where the majority of the population lives in extreme poverty.
Many streets in Port-au-Prince were still blocked on Saturday morning by the barricades erected in the morning. Eve. In several parts of the Port-au-Prince area, protesters have again fired tires, some calling for the revolution.
A policeman killed Friday night
Sporadic gunfire was still heard in some neighborhoods while the presence of the police force remained very limited, could observe an AFP journalist.
Similar movements of anger were recorded in Cap-Haitien, the second city of the country, as well as in the communes of Les Cayes and Jacmel and Petit-Goave
On Friday evening, a policeman badigned to the security of a leader of an opposition political party was killed in an altercation with a group of protesters in the heart of the Haitian capital. He was lynched as he tried to force the pbadage, and his body was then burned on the roadway.
Air France cancels flights
Several airlines such as American Airlines and Air France have canceled their flights until midday for now, and at least one plane has been redirected to Pointe-à-Pitre , in Guadeloupe.
Faced with protests, Prime Minister Jack Guy Lafontant called on Saturday the population to "patience" . "I ask you patience because our administration has a vision, a clear program " declared the head of the government in a speech diffused on the television of State.
" Do not destroy because, each time, it is Haiti which becomes poorer […]. The country is under construction but if each time we destroy, we will always lag behind " he added, while the majority of the windows of the buildings and windows of vehicles were broken in the well-to-do neighborhoods. the metropolitan area.
The director of the national police, for his part, appealed for calm. "We understand your right (to) protest, (to) claim but we do not understand the violence" said Michelangelo Gideon, regretting the death of the police officer and reporting on the fire 'at least two police stations and several police cars.
# Haiti Violent riots in the capital port to the prince after rising fuel prices . The main arteries of the capital were blocked by burning tires. At least one person was killed during an altercation. # guyanela1ere pic.twitter.com/ktd8vsnwuV
– French Guiana (@ guyla1ere) July 7, 2018
]
A 38% increase in the price of gasoline
In the early afternoon of Friday, the Ministries of the Economy, Finance, Trade and Industry announced a 38% increase in gasoline prices, a 47% increase in diesel fuel prices and a 51% increase in kerosene prices, starting at midnight on Saturday, July 7.
The New Terms of Reference Between the Monetary Fund International Trade (IMF) and Haiti, signed in February, implied the cessation of the public subsidy of petroleum products, a significant source of the state's budget deficit.
This significant increase is perceived as intolerable by the majority of the population who make faced with extreme poverty, mbad unemployment and more than 13% for the third consecutive year.
Difficult to justify after years of public subsidies
The government tries to persuade citizens that it is obliged to revise the prices of petroleum products, taking precautions in the choice of vocabulary.
"We are not talking about an increase, but rather putting the fuels at the prices they should be" said the Prime Minister in his televised message Saturday.
"From 2010 In 2018, Haiti subsidized fuel for 50 billion gourdes, or about $ 1 billion. This amount could have allowed us to build many kilometers of road […] many clbadrooms […] many health centers " detailed the head of government to justify the unpopular measure.
The Government Also defends the reduction of these public subsidies because they unfairly favor the economy of the neighboring Dominican Republic, where the rates at the pump are higher.
Since the announcement of the new tariffs, the stations the main cities of the country suspended the distribution of fuels.
[ad_2]
Source link
