Haitians demand protection from surging gang violence

Thousands of Haitians took to the streets of the capital, Port-au-Prince on Wednesday demanding that the government keep them safe amid the ongoing gang violence.

“We came here to give them [the government] our demands. We demand freedom, we demand security. We need to be able to work and save our country,” said one protester.

Many demonstrators clutched tree boughs or palm fronds, while some carried machetes and firearms, as schools, banks, and other businesses remained closed in the city.

The protests began peacefully, but gunfire erupted later in the day with whizzing bullet causing the large crowd to flee in panic as protesters clashed with the police.

Flaming tires blocked roads as protesters chanted, “Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go, and get them out.”

It is the first major protest to hit the administration of Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, appointed as prime minister in November.

Armed gangs control nearly all of the capital and surrounding areas and discontent and anger is spreading over the transitional government’s failure to hold them off.

An undermanned and underfunded United Nations-backed security mission has also done little to prevent their advance.

The violence has forced over a million people from their homes, contributing to a freezing of the economy and fuelling mass hunger.

Gangs are also accused of extortion, mass rapes, and killings.

During a visit to the city in early March, William O’Neill, the United Nations human rights commissioner’s expert on Haiti, described Port-au-Prince as “an open-air prison”.

He said there was no safe way to enter or leave except by helicopter.

A recent UN report found that more than 4,200 people were reported killed across Haiti from July to February, and another 1,356 were injured.