Haiti celebrated its national day this Saturday, January 1, anniversary of its independence from France in 1804. But official commemorations were cut short in Gonaïves, clashes took place between the police and gang members. The Prime Minister denounces an assassination attempt against him.
With our correspondent in Port-au-Prince, Amelia Baron
Apart from the few officials who accompanied the head of government, Gonaïves cathedral was deserted on Saturday during the traditional Te Deum sung to mark the national holiday. During the religious celebration, then at the exit of the senior officials of the church, numerous bursts of gunfire rang out.
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Ariel Henry claimed on Monday that it was an assassination attempt against him. ” I think we tried something, yes, against me, personally. My life is in the crosshairs of people. By accepting this function, I knew that it was a risk, that the possibility is very strong in Haiti. But my determination is also very strong. The risk I took, I knew I would take it. We cannot accept that bandits, from whatever background they may be, for basely pecuniary reasons, want to blackmail the state. It is already almost the beginning of the electoral campaign, it is blackmail to occupy electoral land. ”
As for the climate of generalized insecurity that has dominated for months in Haiti, with the rise of gangs, the Prime Minister signaled that the Haitian police would know how to restore order, without needing reinforcements from foreign troops. At least 950 kidnappings were recorded in Haiti in 2021, according to the Center for Analysis and Research in Human Rights, an organization based in Port-au-Prince. Faced with gangs with an arsenal of war, the Haitian police face a lack of personnel, many agents having abandoned their posts to seek a better future abroad. An attempt to escape prisoners from a detention center on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince on Friday left 11 people dead.
and with AFP
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