Haitians Demand President’s Resignation

This is how one of Haiti's largest anti-corruption citizen movements was born

Meanwhile…in Haiti, everything is at a standstill: schools, courts, public services, and hospitals. For more than two and a half months, the country has been in a state of deadlock. It all started in July 2018; gasoline prices increased. As a result, people took to the streets. Little by little, the movement is directed against the current president Jovenel Moïse, accused of corruption. Since mid-September, according to the UN, at least 42 people have died following the demonstrations. 19 of whom would have been killed by Haitian police. In this Caribbean country, more than 60% of the population lives on less than $2 a day. In power since February 2017, President Jovenel Moïse has no intention of resigning.

The issue: the Petrocaribe fund management provided by Hugo Chavez's Venezuela in 2006 to help the development of several countries, including Haiti. Despite various official reports implicating the elected representatives, no judicial inquiry was launched. Threatened, the magistrates working on the case decided to leave the country. This is how one of Haiti's largest anti-corruption citizen movements was born. It was a 38% increase in gasoline prices, quickly cancelled by the government, that launched the first riots in July 2018.

These protests gave rise to the Petrocaribe Challenge movement, which mobilizes Haitians against the corruption of the established power. They accuse the president and some 15 former ministers and senior officials of possible embezzlement. Pascale Solages Petrochallenger, member of the “Nou Pap Dòmi” collective says today the population is realizing that some of the extremely difficult situations they are experiencing are the result of corruption and impunity.

Brut.