Haiti: new manifestations against Jovenel Moïse

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For the second time this year, the Haitian population takes to the streets to demand the resignation of President Jovenel Moïse

The political situation in Haiti does not recover from the massive demonstrations that took place in February, which paralyzed the country for two weeks. At that time, the main request of the people was the resignation of current President Jovenel Moïse after a report on the state of the economy and the increase of pressure on the Petro Caribe case will be published in January.

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On June 9, four months later, people from all types of sectors, from students and professors to businessmen and leaders of organizations, took to the streets in Jacmel and Port-au-Prince. On this occasion, dressed mostly in white, with banners and tree branches, they demanded the arrest of those involved in the robbed funds of Petrocaribe, better conditions and, especially, the resignation of Moïse, according to Le Nouvelliste. The latter is a consequence of a 600-page report made public at the end of May by the Supreme Court of Auditors on the funds used by Petrocaribe.

Among the companies that received money is Agritrans, a company of which Moïse was president until 2015 when he announced his candidacy, which received 33 million gourdes, around USD $ 700,000 for the construction of two roads. It goes without saying, first, that the company was a banana plantation and, second, that the roads never saw the light.

As stated by Colo Mixony, one of the leaders of the demonstration, the day of the mobilization: "We implemented everything so that this demonstration is organized peacefully today in the streets of Jacmel", so we expected a quiet day. However, at the end of the day, violence between the police and the demonstrators resulted in the death of two people and at least five injuries, as reported by France 24.

Bernard, a 56-year-old protester, while watching young people throw stones at a small shop, told the French network that "We can not be peaceful anymore. Look: this power kills us every time we manifest. And every day, we do not have enough money to eat, so we all die slowly. This president no longer has the moral to govern us. " Thus, it is not only the aggressive response by the police, but also the limit to which the population has been taken, which encourages violent reactions.

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The next day the mobilizations continued and until the date of writing this article people are still in the street demanding their rights, but not in a big general demonstration, but in smaller groups in different cities.

On June 12, Moïse gave a statement regarding the accusations about him in the middle of the commemoration speech of the Police Academy. "Its president, the one for whom they voted, is not involved in corruption cases. Its president was never in corruption. (…) People who managed or misused government money will have to appear before the courts in a process that is fair, balanced and without any political persecution and without bias, "the Miami Herald picked up from the speech. However, the population has already lost confidence in him and continues to ask for his resignation.

What has the international community said?

Although there have not been many official pronouncements, some of the most notable have been the ambassador of Canada, André Frenette, and the OAS, who have sided with a dialogue between the opposition and the Government. Regarding the first, the ambassador stated that "We urge the politicians, the private sector, the representatives of civil society to listen to this call of the people and work together towards a constructive and inclusive dialogue, open to all points of view, to develop sustainable solutions to the challenges facing the population, "France 24 reported.

The OAS also sent the American ambassador of the organization, Carlos Trujillo, to meet with Moïse, all of this after the minister of foreign affairs, Bochitt Edmond, finally requested it. On June 19 Trujillo arrived in Haiti with his delegation and met for five with Moïse in the presidential house. At the exit, in information collected by the Miami Herald, an official of the organization stated the following: on the one hand, addressing the protesters, he stressed that "We will always support the rule of law. If you do not like Moïse, the solution is to defeat him in the ballot box. We are not going to ask him to resign "; on the other hand, now speaking to the president, he said "You have to govern and at this moment not governing". In other words, he maintained a neutral position that did not contribute much to the solution of the problem.

Regarding the meeting, Moïse affirmed on Twitter that "I met with the OAS delegation [to discuss] about the current crisis. The meeting also focused on security and precariousness problems in the country. I remain convinced that dialogue is the only triumph. "

On the other hand, the radical opposition group Nou Pap Domi affirmed what was said by the OAS, in statements collected by the Miami Herald, that "This shows the will of the OAS to impose a solution without listening to the popular demands of the population (…) but we at Nou Pap Domi are committed to finding a solution for Haiti with the Haitians "

LatinAmerican Post | Juan Gabriel Bocanegra

Translated from "Haití: nuevas manifestaciones en contra de Jovenel Moïse"