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In Haiti, the government declared a state of emergency on Sunday evening, but notes Alter Press, his press release does not indicate what the population should mean by this. And in any case, the curfew is established between six in the evening and five in the morning until this Wednesday included. “ The State wants to show that it is taking matters into its own hands “, analysis Gazette Haiti. The decision has been made, written Alter Pressfollowing ” security deterioration, particularly in the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince, characterized by increasingly violent criminal acts » ; and following the gang attack on the night from Saturday to Sunday which emptied, writes The Nouvelliste, the two main prisons in Haiti: that of Port-au-Prince, which has a capacity of 3,800 prisoners, and that of Croix des Bouquets, 1,450 prisoners. According to the daily, which emphasizes that there is no official count on the extent of the escapes, the majority of prisoners have been released, among them well-known gang leaders, notes the Miami Herald.
Read alsoState of emergency in Haiti and establishment of a curfew in Port-au-Prince
A new stage
According to The Nouvellistethis weekend’s attacks show that “ THE gangs have taken a new step in their attack strategy » : « they targeted several buildings and strategic sites at the same time to disperse law enforcement. After attacking and burning the sub-police stations of Portail Léogâne, Delmas 3 and Bon-Repos, they attacked the two largest prison centers in the country “. And AyiboPost asked Samuel Madistin, a lawyer whose clients are or were in prison, “ there was collusion within the national prison administration » ; same reaction from Pierre Espérance, the director of the national network for the defense of human rights, the RNDDH, for whom “ It was known that the bandits were planning to attack the prison center, but “the high staff did nothing (…) For me they handed over the prison to the bandits“ “. always in AyiboPost, a police officer defends his colleagues who fled during the attack, recalling that police officers were murdered on February 29 at the Bon Repos sub-police station, when according to him, they had called for help for hours. At the national penitentiary, the agents “ did not want to suffer the same fate “.
These attacks are being made while the Prime Minister has not yet returned to the country: last week he first met with Caricom, the Caribbean community, according to which Ariel Henry agreed to hold elections by August 2025; in Kenya, he then “ finalized an agreement which should allow the deployment of an international armed force in Haiti “. Observers, writes the Miami Herald, believe that it was perhaps these last two pieces of news that led the gangs to carry out this weekend’s attacks, ” to show that they are not united, but have the means to overthrow the government “.
Also listenJournal of Haiti and the Americas
Super Tuesday
In the United States, this Tuesday, voters will go to the polls on Super Tuesday, the main date in the presidential primary calendar: on the Republican side, a third of the delegates responsible for nominating the party’s candidate will then be chosen. Donald Trump is still facing Nikki Haley, who is not throwing in the towel, especially since Sunday, writes the Washington Post, she won her first primary against the former president: in Washington DC, she won all the delegates. She is the first woman to win a Republican primary in the history of the United States, notes her spokesperson.
This Tuesday, it will be another story since, written The Hillout of the dozen states that will vote, “ none seem clearly ready to give victory » to Nikki Haley. The candidate who, since yesterday Sunday, has been Politico, no longer promises to support Donald Trump if he wins the Republican nomination – a promise candidates made before the primary debates. Knowing that for his part, Donald Trump had not committed to anything.
Finally on the side of President Joe Biden, who should easily win Super Tuesday on the Democratic side, an alarming poll: according to this study from Siena College, 61% of those who voted for him in 2020 now believe that he is too old to lead the country effectively – reinforcing, writes the New York Timesthis issue of the president’s age, which has become a serious threat to his re-election campaign.
Read also“Super Tuesday”, a day to fold the match of the American primaries