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HTI | Jan 29, 2023

Protest by Haitian police ‘cannot be condoned’, says CARICOM

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A man walks near a burning barricade set by demonstrators during a protest for the recent killings of police officers by armed gangs, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti January 26, 2023. (Photo: REUTERS/Ralph Tedy Erol)

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has come out in condemnation of the killing of police officers in Haiti as it pointed to the recent incidents as indicative of the severity of the challenges that the security forces face amid the continuing breakdown in the country.

In a statement on Saturday (January 28), CARICOM also expressed its condolences to the families of the officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty.

“The anger and dismay of the police at the gruesome killings of their colleagues, 78 killed since July 2021and 14 to date this January, are shared by all,” CARICOM said.

The comments came after Haitian police officers last week blocked streets and forced their way into the country’s main airport to protest the recent killing of officers by armed gangs expanding their grip on the Caribbean nation.

A demonstrator argues with a police officer outside the Directorate General of the Haitian National Police during a protest for the recent killings of police officers by armed gangs, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti January 26, 2023. (Photo: REUTERS/Ralph Tedy Erol)

Protesters in civilian clothes who identified themselves as police first attacked Prime Minister Ariel Henry’s official residence, according to witnesses, and then flooded the airport as Henry was arriving from a trip to Argentina.

While acknowledging the concerns of the police, CARICOM however stressed that “abandoning the role of the security forces to protect every citizen and maintain public order further destabilises the country”.

The CARICOM statement read: “The protest actions by members of the police service against the prime minister cannot be condoned. 

“CARICOM urges the members of the Haitian National Police to safeguard peace and order and refrain from actions which could only serve to foster even greater damage to the country and its people.”

During the protests last Thursday (January 26), Henry was temporarily stuck in the airport, but returned to his residence in Port-au-Prince later, followed by police protesters. Heavy gunfire was heard near his home.

Roads around Port-au-Prince and in several cities to the north were blocked by protesters.

A group of US government officials were visiting Haiti at the time, and a US State Department spokesperson said all Washington’s personnel were accounted for and they had moved some meetings as a precaution.

Demonstrators break into the Toussaint Louverture International Airport to protest the recent killings of police officers by armed gangs, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti January 26, 2023. (Photo: REUTERS/Ralph Tedy Erol)

Haitian human rights group RNDDH said in a statement that 78 police officers had been killed since Henry came to power in July 2021, averaging five each month, saying the prime minister and the head of the national police Frantz Elbe were “responsible for each of the 78 lives lost during their reign”.

“History will remember they did nothing to protect and preserve the lives of these agents who chose to serve their country,” it added.

Late on Thursday, The Bahamas’ foreign ministry said the country’s prime minister had ordered all Bahamians, including its diplomatic personnel, to leave Haiti as soon as security conditions permit.

A demonstrator yells in front of a burning barricade during a protest for the recent killings of police officers by armed gangs, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti January 26, 2023. (Photo: REUTERS/Ralph Tedy Erol)

Haitian police had earlier in the day stopped the neighboring country’s local charge d’affaires and taken their vehicle and weapons, it added, saying all its diplomats were safe, as well as five citizens who had been trapped around the airport.

Earlier this month, four police officers near the capital were killed by the Vitelhomme gang, while shootouts last Wednesday with the Savien gang in the town of Liancourt left another seven officers dead, according to Haiti’s National Police and local media reports.

A demonstrator holds up a sign reading: “Too much police blood is being spilled. We can’t take it anymore” during a protest for the recent killings of police officers by armed gangs, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti January 26, 2023. (Photo: REUTERS/Ralph Tedy Erol)

US Assistant Secretary of State Brian Nichols expressed condolences to the families of police officers killed in the latest violence, and said the United States would continue to “impose costs on those responsible for this heinous violence”.

Asked how the developments could affect efforts to craft an international armed intervention, the US State Department spokesperson told Reuters the United States was still working with international partners to develop “a framework” for a security mission to “provide security and stability”.

The United Nations is discussing sending a foreign strike force to confront the criminal groups. The proposal was originally made three months ago but no country has offered to lead such a force.

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