Haiti decrees curfew in Ouest
Written by a human
The government of the Republic of Haiti has decreed a curfew throughout Ouest (English: West), one of the ten departments of the country, after declaring a renewable 72-hour state of emergency in the terriroty due to attacks by armed gangs.
Ouest has an area of 4,827 square kilometer and a population of 4,029,705 (2015 estimate). The capital and the largest city of the Republic, Port-au-Prince, is also the department’s capital.
Haiti is one of the Francophone countries and a founding member of Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF).
The government of Haiti published on its website a statement from Michel Patrick Boisvert, the country’s acting prime minister, in the French language. The Haiti acting PM’s statement said that a curfew was being imposed thoughout Ouest between 6 PM and 5 AM on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. On Sunday, the curfew would be implemented from 8 PM to 5 AM, the statement dated March 3rd said.
“This measure does not apply to law enforcement officers on duty, firefighters, ambulance drivers, health personnel and duly identified journalists,” added the acting prime minister’s statement, according to Google Translator. “Consequently, the police were ordered to use all legal means at their disposal to enforce the curfew and apprehend all offenders.”
Boisvert is serving as the acting PM because, according to the Voice of America, the whereabouts of Ariel Henry, who has served as the acting PM of the country since 20 July 2021 after the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, were not known Monday.
The statement by Boisvert began by saying that the security situation was deteriorated “particularly in the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince” and “characterized by increasingly violent criminal acts perpetrated by armed gangs, causing massive population displacements and consisting in particular of kidnappings and assassinations of peaceful citizens, violence against women and children, ransacking and theft of public and private property.”
The statement further said that armed gangs perpertrated attacks on the night of March 2nd “against the two largest penitentiary centers in the country, namely in the Capital and at Croix des Bouquets, causing deaths and injuries in the ranks of the Police and prison staff, the escape of dangerous prisoners and the vandalization of these places.”
Featured photo is by Marcello Casal Jr/ABr - http://www.agenciabrasil.gov.br/media/imagens/2010/01/19/190110MCA0586.jpg/view and is licensed under CC BY 3.0 BR DEED Photo editing by SN Digital (edited/adapted work is also licensed under CC BY 3.0 BR DEED)
