The crime devouring Haiti’s investment that has led to normal gun battles between police and gangs extended into the hills on Monday, as Haitians in some of Port- au- Prince’s wealthiest enclaves woke up to bursts of large gunfire and bodies riddled with bullets on their streets.
Results of heavily armed men were spotted in the suburbs of Laboule and Thomasin, which are part of the Pétion- Ville city of urban Port- une- Prince. Houses were ransacked and at least one man, a companion, was shot. The shield was traveling to work on the back of motorbike when he was shot, said his employer Anthony Bennett.
After an emergency could not get through a blocked path, Bennett said he had to go privately in his car to pick up the guard, “otherwise he may have died”.
People in Pétion- Ville told a Miami Herald journalist that there were at least 24 lifeless bodies on the roads, victims of gunshots. The video counted at least nine dead with gun slots along PanAmerican Avenue in Pétion- Ville, not far from a petrol station. The problems started around nightfall on Saturday and continued through Monday night.
Photos shared online showed some people with weapons and backpacks standing both inside and outside the garden of the personal residence of a prosecutor who serves on Haiti’s Court of Auditors.
As the attacks unfolded, residents reported hiding and barricading themselves inside their homes. In some cases, armed men successfully ransacked some of the homes.
The new assaults have spread a wave of panic in the capital, where until now residents in Pétion- Ville freely circulated as armed groups targeted key government facilities at the bottom of the mountain, including the airports and seaports.
On Monday, Haitians and an international coalition were still awaiting the names of those who would make up a transitional presidential council to run the country and help Haiti forge a way out of the crisis.
The ongoing negotiations to name the council began a week ago but have been bogged down by infighting among some of the groups. Another complication: People being considered for the presidential panel are worried about their personal safety and that of their families, given the escalating attacks against homes, businesses and government facilities.
In a media statement Monday, the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Haiti refuted claims that it had named a representative to the presidential panel. Following the decision by the political party Petiti Desalin not to participate in the naming of a presidential council, some of those involved in the discussions suggested the party’s voting seat be given to the religious community. After word began circulating that the Catholic Church had sent a representative, however, the bishops ‘ conference said they had” not mandated anyone to represent the Catholic Church within the Presidential Council or any government structure”, the statement shared with the Miami Herald said.
” We nevertheless hope that the current talks will result in a true inclusive and lasting patriotic agreement in the interest of all the Haitian people, who so aspire to peace and well- being”, the statement added.
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