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Hundreds in Haiti demand president's resignation

Saturday, 18 May 2019 11:44 PM [ Last Update: Saturday, 18 May 2019 11:52 PM ]

A protester adds another tire to a burning barricade during a protest demanding the resignation of President Jovenel Moise over skyrocketing prices that have more than doubled for basic goods amid allegations of government corruption, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Saturday, May 18, 2019. (Photo by AP)

Hundreds in Haiti took to the streets of the capital Port-au-Prince on Saturday to demand the resignation of the U.S.-backed President Jovenel Moise.

Young protesters lit car tires on fire and clashed with security forces in riot gear who fired tear gas towards the protesters.

Previous protests have led to dozens of deaths in clashes between protesters and police and left businesses shut for days, gravely damaging an economy already struggling with high inflation and worsening fuel shortages.

Prime Minister Jean Michel Lapin has said that he encouraged peaceful protest but the government would not allow violence on the streets.

A Haitian Senate investigation found that some $2 billion in Venezuelan aid had been stolen or misspent, largely under the administration of Moise's predecessor and political patron, Michel Martelly.

A judge is investigating the case and has frozen some local accounts but no other action has yet been taken against those presumed responsible, outraging many Haitians and fueling some of the street protests.

Other protests have been organized by political parties who pay mostly young men to create chaos as a pressure tactic.

Along with the deteriorating economy and political instability, overall security in Haiti has been shaken by increasing gang violence and the Haitian police force's inability to control large swathes of poor neighborhoods around the capital.

(Source: AP)

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