Port-au-Prince, Feb 7 (EFE).- At least six people died and more than a dozen were injured this Wednesday in violent anti-government demonstrations in Haiti, in which thousands of people demanded Prime Minister Ariel Henry step down after 30 months in power.
Among the dead are five officers from the Protected Areas Security Brigade (BSAP), a new armed entity over which the authorities have completely lost control, who fell during clashes with the Haitian National Police (HNP) in Laboule, in the hills of the capital.
Earlier, a person died in Ouanaminthe, in the northeast of the country, after an attack on a police station, which prompted violent retaliation against the protesters.
In Les Cayes, Jérémie and other provincial cities, violent clashes between the HNP and protesters left numerous people injured, some due to projectile impact to the back or head, and there was also the looting of businesses and the burning of public institutions.
In many parts of the country, among the protesters were people carrying firearms, machetes and knives, determined to force the departure of the prime minister, who has remained silent about the street protests, even on Wednesday – the end of his mandate under an agreement signed in December 2022.
In the metropolitan area, protests organized by the opposition were violently dispersed by police officers who used tear gas and bullets to prevent them from reaching their destination.
At the end of the day, many streets and neighborhoods in the capital remained barricaded, leaving the streets empty of people.
Anti-government protests were set to continue on Thursday.
In addition to the five BSAP members killed, three others were detained by the police, according to police sources cited by the local press.
Many BSAP officers support former senator Guy Philippe, who has returned after serving years in prison for drug trafficking, and say they want to provoke a “revolution” in the country.
The BSAP is made up of former military personnel converted into forest guards, as well as volunteers, and also people integrated outside of any hierarchy or norm. The government prohibits them from moving through the city and carrying weapons and ammunition.
They have rebelled against the authorities by joining the protesters, especially in provincial cities.
Feb. 7 should have marked Henry’s departure, according to an agreement signed in December 2022 with representatives of political parties, civil society organizations and members of the private sector, under the auspices of the international community.
Citizens are demanding the departure of Henry, who is considered incapable of successfully leading the country after more than 30 months in power.
The protests come as armed groups control the capital and other parts of Haiti and are responsible for hundreds of murders, rapes, kidnappings and other crimes.
In addition, nearly 50 percent of the population is food insecure, and half of the population of just over 11 million lives in poverty.
The critical situation in Haiti led the UN Security Council to approve in October, at Henry’s request, the deployment of a Kenya-led multinational security support mission, which has not yet materialized. EFE
mm/mcd-tw
