Canada and United States advise their nationals to leave Haiti

A security guard at a service station in Port-au-Prince during a fuel delivery.

October 31, 2021. AP - Matias Delacroix

Text by: RFI Follow

2 min

Haiti continues to sink into the crisis: the grip of gangs on the country is accelerating and the fuel shortage caused by this insecurity considerably paralyzes activities. 

Advertising

Read more

In a message sent Wednesday to its citizens in Haiti, the Canadian Embassy in Port-au-Prince recommends that those whose presence is not essential to leave the country.

Washington issued a similar alert hours later urging its nationals to plan their departure now.

It would be " 

 " that she could help them if there were to be no more commercial flights, she warns. 

These recommendations come as the country faces a climate of extreme insecurity.

The gangs which control a good part of the capital block the roads which lead to the oil terminals, disrupting the fuel supply for several months.

►

However, without oil, no electricity.

The public electricity company has never been able to meet the needs of the population, so those who can have equipped themselves with generators that run on fuel.

Having electricity at all times has always been a luxury reserved for a minority in Haiti, recalls our correspondent in Port-au-Prince,

.

It is even more so today: on the black market, a can of fuel often sells for 10 times the legal price. 

In this untenable economic context, hospitals, banks, media and telephone companies have already significantly reduced their activities.

We went to three days of publication per week, we also reduced the presence of journalists and employees.

"Le Nouvelliste" still has a stock of gasoline, but it is running out.

Frantz Duval, editor-in-chief of "Nouvelliste"

Long confined to the poor neighborhoods of Port-au-Prince, the armed bands have, in recent months, extended their control and increased the number of villainous kidnappings.

One of the country's most powerful gangs

the group of missionaries and their families - 16 US citizens and one Canadian citizen - kidnapped on October 16 east of the capital, if they did not get the demanded US $ 17 million in ransom.

Newsletter

Receive all international news directly in your mailbox

I subscribe

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

google-play-badge_FR

• Haiti

• Canada

• United States