The mobilizations began on February 7 with the Haitian population fed up with the corruption of Jovenel Moïse’s government and the high cost of living. The protesters demand the resignation of the president and his prime minister, an immediate national dialogue to establish a transitional government, and a call for a Constituent Assembly.
They also demand the prosecution of those responsible for the embezzlement of 3,800 million dollars (a sum that arrived from Venezuela, within the framework of the Petrocaribe energy integration platform), originally destined to the development of social and energy infrastructures for alleviating the serious social situation the country is going through.
The lack of fuel, due to the unpaid debt of the State with the company that monopolizes its import, has had an impact on the increase in the cost of living for Haitians, with a devaluation of the local currency and a strong inflation in its economy.
One week after the non-violent demonstrations began, around 52 people have been killed by the crackdown of the National Police, in which soldiers of the United Nations Mission for the Support of Justice in Haiti (MINUJUSTH) have also been involved, according to opposition parties and social movements. There are also about 47 injured and between 200 and 300 arrested.
For now, Moïse remains in his presidential office and has received the support of the Core Group (made up of the deputy special representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations, the ambassadors of Germany, Brazil, Canada, Spain, the United States, France, and representatives of Spain, of the European Union and of the Organization of American States-OAS), which celebrated the actions of the repressive forces.
From Haiti, Lautaro Rivara, sociologist, communicator and member of the Dessalines Brigade of Solidarity with Haiti, sent a special report for Real World Radio.