Armed gangs stormed the National Library of Haiti, located in the capital Port-au-Prince, on Wednesday April 3, its director told AFP, a new illustration of the spiral of violence in this country of Caribbean.
“I have been told that the thugs are taking away the institution's furniture. They have also destroyed the building's generator. I have alerted the police for rapid intervention,” declared Dangelo Néard. “We have rare documents, more than 200 years old, of heritage importance which risk being burned or damaged by bandits,” added the library director.
After a few days of relative calm, the gangs resumed their attacks on Monday in several districts of the capital. Last week, they attacked and looted two universities also located in the capital.
“UNESCO strongly condemns the acts of vandalism recorded at the National School of Arts (ENARTS) and the arson of the École Normale Supérieure (ENS) and in other educational and cultural institutions in Haiti,” said declared Wednesday UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) in a press release.
Residents flee after hearing gunshots from armed gangs near the National Palace in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, April 2, 2024 © Clarens SIFFROY / AFP
Three health facilities were also looted by armed gangs on March 26 and 27, the UN Office of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a separate statement.
The country has been ravaged for decades by poverty, natural disasters, political instability and gang violence.
In late February, powerful Haitian gang leaders, who now control much of Port-au-Prince, teamed up to attack police stations, prisons, the airport and the seaport to push for an exit Prime Minister Ariel Henry. The latter announced on March 11 that he would resign to make way for a transition council.
Waiting authorities
But the formation of this council has still not been finalized, due to disagreements between political parties and other stakeholders who should appoint the next prime minister and doubts about the very legality of such a body.
A police vehicle in position near the national palace, April 2, 2024 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti © Clarens SIFFROY / AFP
“Within a week, we will have a Prime Minister chosen,” council member Leslie Voltaire promised AFP. The advisors are trying to agree to appoint him. “The problem with time is that we spent two and a half years with Ariel Henry who did nothing, and now in two weeks we want to do a lot of things,” he said. added.
According to him, "there was a leader who had no political will to combat insecurity, to combat the misery of the people, to allow airports, ports, etc. to function and who let the situation deteriorate ". “We had put the cart before the horse.”
A man prays in a church in Port-au-Prince, March 29, 2024 in Haiti © Clarens SIFFROY / AFP/Archives
The violence ravaging Port-au-Prince forced more than 53,000 people to flee the capital between March 8 and 27, mostly because of gangs. A “cataclysmic” situation has alerted the UN, with 1,554 killed during the first three months of 2024, deploring that “porous borders” facilitate the supply of gangs with weapons and ammunition.
The population is facing a serious humanitarian crisis, with shortages of food, medicine and other basic goods. “Last week, ten pharmacies in the capital were looted, making access to medicines even more difficult,” OCHA said.
As clashes between police and gangs continue, the country's police said Tuesday in a statement published on X (formerly Twitter) that they were "determined and committed to restoring order and peace."
With AFP
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