YEREVAN, JANUARY 23, ARMENPRESS. The US Embassy in Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince has been closed due to the large-scale protests against the policy of US President Donald Trump, Associated Press reports.

The local Police set up barricades to protect the Embassy building from the protesters. Some protesters threw rocks on the Police, but the officers eventually fired several rounds of tear gas.

The Embassy sent its employees to a safe place.

The protests in Haiti launched after the disregarding remarks by Donald Trump. </s> Haiti’s man in Washington, an ambassador with seven years under his belt defending his country’s image, has been recalled.

At a time when Haiti is facing critical issues that need representation before the Trump administration, Paul Altidor, received a letter on Tuesday informing him that his services will no longer be needed. The recall was effective immediately.

“We accomplished a lot here at the embassy,” Altidor said.

He took Haiti’s diplomatic mission on Embassy Row in Washington from a place where Haitians only went to get passports and resolve document issues, to a cultural hotspot where visitors can bask in Haitian culture from art to cooking to artistry.

Altidor, 45, had submitted his resignation to President Jovenel Moïse a year ago. But the president had asked him to stay on, and in recent days had found himself fielding calls from concerned U.S. lawmakers and their staffers about the ongoing violent demonstrations that have rattled Haitians and paralyzed major cities.

Since Thursday, thousands of Haitians have taken to the streets in Port-au-Prince and other cities throughout the impoverished country to protest against skyrocketing prices, double-digit inflation, currency devaluation and corruption. In their anger and frustration, they’ve lashed out at businesses and demanded the resignation of Moïse, who has insisted that his five-year presidential mandate is not up for debate.

On the same day that Altidor received his recall letter Tuesday, protesters burned a popular Port-au-Prince street market and looted stores while 78 prisoners broke out of jail in a small southern town. The European Union mission, concerned about the ongoing unrest, hired a charter to fly dependents to the neighboring Dominican Republic.

Meanwhile, the 15-member Caribbean Community, which Haiti is a member of, appealed to all to engage in constructive dialogue and to respect the Constitution, the rule of law and democratic processes so that issues can be resolved in a peaceful atmosphere. It also called for a cessation of the violence to allow for the return to a state of normalcy.

It was the sixth day of what’s being dubbed, “Operation lock down Haiti,” in which the opposition has vowed to keep the country locked until Moïse resigns.

So far, it has succeeded in shutting down schools, businesses and public transportation, and halting activities across Haiti where roads have been barricades with burning tires, tree branches and rocks.

“The timing is very strange. He’s embattled down here, why would he do this? It begs the question why,” Georges Sassine, president of the Association of Haitian Industries said about Moïse, who has yet to address his nation since the violence broke out. “You don’t change a horse in the middle of crossing a river.”

Adding to those concerns is that the recall comes just days before Haiti Foreign Minister Edmond Bocchit is scheduled to meet with Trump’s National Security Adviser John Bolton.

Bocchit, who last week visited the Center for Strategic and International Studies and State Department with influential Haitian businessman Andy Apaid, has been seeking out support for the Moïse administration in Washington ever since Haiti agreed to broke with longtime ally Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and recognize acting opposition leader Juan Guaidó as president.

civil society movement that forced the ouster of president Jean-Bertrand Aristide from power in 2004 amid a bloody revolt.

A former adviser for the World Bank’s International Financial Corporation and vice president of the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, Altidor came into the ambassador’s role with no public diplomacy experience during president Michel Martelly’s administration.

Determined to change the narrative of his crisis-plagued country, he opened up the embassy to congressional lawmakers, fellow ambassadors and Haitians. Among those who have visited the mission: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Georgia Democrat Rep. John Lewis and media executive and entrepreneur Cathy Hughes of Radio One.

“We opened the embassy up to the outside public,” Altidor said, noting that instead of going to meet members of Congress on Capitol Hill, they often came to him. And very often these meetings were held not in the top floor office, but in the bottom-floor kitchen where Altidor often invited lawmakers to join him in a meal of Haitian cuisine as they discussed topics relevant to Haiti.

One memorable meeting occurred in September 2017 as the Trump administration weighed whether to extend Temporary Protected Status, TPS, for Haitians. In between meetings with U.S Department of Homeland Security officials and immigration advocates, Altidor hosted an intimate dinner for about a half dozen Democratic lawmakers to craft a new strategy he hoped would convince the White House to extend the temporary program that has allowed thousands of Haitians to work and live in the U.S..

The strategy didn’t work, but the dinner accomplished something else.

“We have institutions coming to our doors, people who would not be otherwise interested in Haiti,” said Altidor, a graduate of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) who also pursued graduate studies in law and economics at the University of Paris X, in France.

In January 2018, Altidor was in the U.S. spotlight again when it was reported that Trump referred to Haiti and other African nations as “shithole countries.” He was the first and only Haitian government official to respond to the remark, saying he vehemently condemned it and would use the publicity to continue to introduce a new narrative around Haiti.

That narrative has involved getting Americans to see Haiti as a country that is capable of luring investments, and to see Haitians as hard workers who contribute to the fabric of America. No longer did Altidor want Haiti to be viewed in university circles as a place where college students can just do charitable work.

“I made a point to ensure that the U.S community get a glance of the Haitian package, not just some of the bad things like we are seeing right now,” he said, “but from the the history to the culture. Folks should know about that. And we’ve made significance progress.”

Still his efforts weren’t always appreciated. Critics accused him of spending too much time on community relations rather than diplomacy while lobbyists and want-to-be lobbyists, sometimes went around him as they escorted Haitian government officials and parliamentarians to meetings on Capitol Hill and at the State Department. The move often created confusion over who was speaking on behalf of the government.

Even DHS officials once questioned Altidor’s credentials, insisting that he was speaking more on behalf the Haitian diaspora rather than the government when pushed for TPS renewal on behalf of Haitians in the United States. He went as far as writing a letter on behalf of the Moïse administration when Port-au-Prince refused to do so even at the insistence of the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince.

Altidor, who points his embassy’s 24-hour turnaround for Haitian passports, among his accomplishments, said he’s proud of the fact that he’s managed to generate conversations around non-political issues that he felt needed to be addressed.

“The embassy became a relevant institution in the Haitian conversation in Washington D.C. and beyond,” he said. </s> As “Operation lock down Haiti” marked its fifth day Monday, the country’s leading business chambers called on Haitian President Jovenel Moïse to come to the negotiating table in order to end violent demonstrations that have left at least eight people dead, a dozen injured and businesses pillaged and burned.

The head of the Haitian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the departmental chambers that constitute it, said they are not asking for Moïse to resign. But Moïse’s departure from office and that of his prime minister, Jean Henry Céant , or the presidents of both the Senate and Lower Chamber of Deputies, should not be off limits in discussions with the opposition “in order to have peace so the people can return to their homes,” said Frantz Bernard Craan.

“We need the president, the prime minister and the presidents of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies to ask the different parties of the opposition to come to the table of negotiations, but agree that their mandate is on the table and all of the conclusions will be accepted,” Craan added.

“We feel that people do not trust Jovenel Moïse to respect his word. So if he takes a public commitment to do what we’re asking, it may create the atmosphere necessary to have the negotiations,” he said. “We’re also asking for a board of wise persons to be named by different segments of society to conduct the negotiations because we don’t feel any of the actual authorities have enough legitimacy to conduct those negotiations.”

Since Thursday, violent demonstrations have shut down schools, businesses, public transport and other activities in cities across Haiti, leading the U.S. embassy in Port-au-Prince to consider ordering departure for children of American diplomats, and some staffers.

“The safety and security of our personnel and their families is our top priority. We are monitoring the security situation in real time, 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” said a State Department spokesperson for Western Hemisphere Affairs, who declined to confirm if the embassy had requested the departures. “We are prepared to do the things we need to do to make sure we keep our people safe.”

The latest protests have been triggered by frustrations over the country’s double-digit inflation, skyrocketing prices, and a domestic currency in a free fall against the U.S. dollar. Haitians are also upset by years of government ineptness and mismanagement that has triggered an audit of nearly $2 billion in funds from Venezuela’s PetroCaribe discount oil program that was supposed to be invested in social programs.

In the face of the social demands, the government has remained silent, though presidential advisers made the radio rounds on Monday defending Moïse and resisting demands for his resignation. On Sunday, the international community broke its silence and called on Haiti’s political actors “to engage in a constructive and inclusive dialogue in order to identify and implement realistic and lasting solutions to the political and economic crisis.” It also reminded Haitian citizens that “in a democracy change must come through the ballot box, and not through violence.”

The communique was met with almost immediate backlash from the opposition. While some pointed out that the U.S. and others recently chose to recognize Juan Guaidó, the president of the Venezuelan National Assembly, as the country’s acting president over Nicolás Maduro, a position that Haiti also supported, others noted that elections have seldom brought stability to Haiti.

“We would like to remind the friends of Haiti that what’s happening here is in part the result of their work,” a group of political parties demanding Moïse’s resignation and the protests said in a statement. “It’s the failure of a strategy that lies in making decisions on behalf of Haiti behind the Haitian people’s back every time that there is a feud inside the country; the strategy of giving orders to leaders that were installed through shady elections. It’s that formula that has brought this system to life that excludes the masses.“

Georges Sassine, president of the Association of Haitian Industries, a grouping of Haiti’s manufacturing companies, said something needs to be done.

“If we let the streets decide, we are going to all be carried away like a tsunami wave,” he said.

On Monday, as scores of protesters marched through Cité Soleil and Kenscoff, along Delmas road it was chaos as a police officer was shot and protesters looted businesses and four bandits tried to pillage a bank before being arrested. Further north in the city of St. Marc, no cars could enter or leave the city, which protesters had on lock down. Some even tried to burn down the mayor’s office, said assistant mayor Frantz Ulysse. Ulysse said he supports the protesters and their demands.

The escalating violence is worrisome, said Craan.

“The situation is heading toward a catastrophe,” he said. “People are in the streets. Thugs are attacking businesses, gas stations are burning, tires are burning in the streets, people are setting up road blocks and asking people to pay to go through. This is not acceptable. The police, even though they are trying, do not have the means to control what we see coming.

“All of the authorities need to make the sacrifice to pacify the population which is struggling, and justifiably angry, because they are facing a difficult economic situation and they need the authorities to take the right steps. Until now the steps have not been taken.” </s> The United States has expressed concern about the violent protests that have swept Haiti.

"We support the right of all people to demand a democratic and transparent government and to hold their government leaders accountable," a State Department spokesperson for Western Hemisphere Affairs told VOA, "but there is no excuse for violence. Violence leads to instability, less investment, and fewer jobs."

The comment comes after a 6th day of protests crippled the capital, Port-au-Prince and cities nationwide. At least one death was reported and there was looting and damage to businesses and cars.

Late Tuesday, a building that houses the Consulate of the Embassy of Peru and offices of the Embassy of Italy were broken into. A VOA Creole reporter who toured the facility after the incident saw a bullet casing on a stairway as well as overturned furniture and damaged office equipment.

Protesters have taken to the streets daily since February 7 to demand the resignation of President Jovenel Moise, whom they hold responsible for what they consider to be deplorable living conditions.

"There's nothing more for Jovenel to do in the country except for resigning to avoid a blood bath," lawyer Nathanael Lerine told VOA Creole in the southern city of Jacmel. "There is no place for Jovenel in the country anymore. All he does is lie. We need electricity 24/7. We need food on our tables instead of a leader who is lining his own pockets with cash. Inflation is rising— we've reached 100 Haitian Gourdes to the American dollar. Jovel has to go!"

Protesters are also demanding transparency from the government regarding the alleged misuse of $3.8 billion. The money, due to Haiti under the PetroCaribe oil alliances signed between Venezuela and Caribbean nations starting in June 2005, had been earmarked for infrastructure and social and economic projects.

Tuesday evening, the newly-elected President of the Haitian Senate, Carl Murat Cantave issued a statement saying he had met with President Moise and Prime Minister Jean Henry Ceant. Senator Cantave said he plans to meet with the economic forum on Wednesday and will continue to consult the members of the democratic sector and the Core group (comprised of the United Nations Secretary-General's Special Representative for Haiti and ambassadors of the United States, Germany, France, Spain, the European Union and Brazil) to try to find a solution to the political crisis.

The Core group issued a communique Monday stating that it has taken note of the demands made by the protesters but deplores the loss of life and material damages incurred.

Meanwhile, protesters vow to continue marching until the president steps down.

The U.S. renewed its travel warning for Haiti Tuesday, which currently stands at Level 3 and advises travelers to reconsider planned trips to Haiti due "due to crime and civil unrest".

VOA Creole reporters Matiado Vilme and Renan Toussaint contributed to this report from Port-au-Prince, Haiti; Nike Ching contributed from the State Department </s> Hector Retamal / AFP | Demonstrators flee as Haitian Police open fire, during the clashes, in the centre of Haitian Capital Port-au-Prince, February 13, 2019, on the seventh day of protests against Haitian President Jovenel Moise.

The wave of demonstrations against Haiti's President Jovenel Moïse and his government’s mishandling of development funds has left a seventh protestor dead after a week of violent clashes in the Caribbean nation.

Haitians took to the streets of the capital Port-au-Prince’s once again on Wednesday to demand the resignation of the country’s President Jovenel Moïse as tensions continue to mount after a week of demonstrations marked by violent clashes with the police.

According to AFP, a young man died at a crossroads near the presidential palace in Port-au-Prince and a Haitian journalist was wounded by gunshots during crossfire between police and protestors.

The former French colony has been mired in a political crisis since February 7 that has left at least seven people dead and everyday life in the largest towns paralyzed by protests and barricades.

Demonstrators, who come mostly from poor neighbourhoods, are demanding Moïse’s resignation over graft scandals and for failing to tackle widespread poverty.

“This government is seen as incapable of tackling the economic crisis or the corruption,” said Jake Johnston, researcher at the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) and author of its Haiti: Relief and Reconstruction Watch blog.

"It's a popular uprising. Haitians are occupying the streets to make it clear that Jovenel (Moïse) has no choice but to resign," said demonstrator Prophete Hilaire, who was marching across the capital. "A government that cannot give its people nourishment and water must step down," he added.

Haiti is the poorest country in the Americas and one of the poorest in the world, with three-fifths of the nearly 11 million population living below the national poverty line of $2 a day. According to a United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs report in July 2018, some 1.3 million Haitians depend on food assistance.

Each year, thousands of young people flee as illegal migrants, including to nearby Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos islands.

On January 2018, the country earned the unwanted distinction of being included in US President Donald Trump's list of “shithole countries”.

But poverty levels have been exacerbated by plummeting economic conditions in recent years.

“Since 2016, the country has faced a two-digit inflation, the national currency lost half of its value over the course of the last four years. And half of this decline actually happened last year,” Johnston said.

The current demonstrations kicked off when Moïse found himself at the heart of a corruption scandal over the Petrocaribe fund, under which Venezuela supplied Haiti and other Caribbean and Central American countries with oil for years at cut-rate prices and easy credit terms.

Investigations have shown that nearly $2 billion intended for development projects were misused from the program. In January, a report on the case revealed that a company, then headed by Moïse, was a beneficiary of funds from a road construction project. The company never a signed contract, according to the report.

Moïse is not the only Haitian leader to have seen his legitimacy disputed.

According to Johnston, “there is a crisis of legitimacy concerning Haitians politicians who weren’t able to respond to the population’s needs”. Moïse’s case is even worse.

Haiti’s current president only came into power in 2017 after a second poll, the first one having been cancelled over reports of massive fraud. “When the second election took place, less than 20 percent of the voters showed up. Even though no irregularities were found during the second ballot, such turnout rate could never lead to a stable term,” Johnston added.

Although many protestors have been killed in the current turmoil, Moïse and his prime minister have remained dead silent. Neither has reacted to the latest events, despite the violence sometimes breaking out only a few metres from the presidential palace.

FRANCE 24’s Amélie Baron reported from Port-au-Prince that “no solution has been put forward for now. But the authorities will have to take decisions, because the anger of the people is only growing”.

“Ignoring once again the people’s legitimate demands is a guarantee that the crisis will last a long time,” Johnston agreed.

“Authorities seem to blame the turmoil on a political opposition willing to seize power. They presume that it will run short of money and the movement will then cool down and the country will be calm again.”

Authorities are also counting on October 2019’s legislative elections to ease the tension. But “it would be very naive to think that these elections alone can solve this crisis,” said Johnston.

Even a political dialogue with the opposition might not help, for “there is not even one credible leader who is in position to control the demonstrators by himself”, Johnston noted, adding that there will only be progressive talks when “civil society” takes its place at the negotiating table.

This article was adapted from the original in French by Henrique Valadares. </s> PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Canada warned its citizens on Friday to avoid all travel to Haiti, citing over a week of violent protests that have called for President Jovenel Moïse of Haiti to resign, despite his promise of economic measures to quell the demonstrations.

Citing civil unrest throughout the country, Canada’s government warned that the security situation there “could deteriorate quickly” and urged its citizens to consider leaving. A day earlier, the United States issued its own travel advisory.

Late Thursday, President Moïse said during a televised address that he would not surrender the country to armed gangs and drug dealers, and he accused people of freeing prisoners to kill him. It was the first time he had spoken since the demonstrations began, and he made another call for dialogue with the opposition.

“I heard the voice of the people. I know the problems that torment them. That’s why the government has taken a lot of measures,” he said. “I asked the prime minister to come and explain them and implement them without delay in order to relieve misery.” </s> Haitian Prime Minister Jack Guy Lafontant resigned Saturday after widespread protests thwarted his attempts to increase the nation’s fuel prices.

Lafontant was asked by Haiti’s Chamber of Deputies to answer questions regarding the violent protests that took place July 6-8, leaving at least seven people dead and dozens of businesses destroyed or looted.

Instead, he handed in his letter of resignation to President Jovenel Moise.

Earlier this month, the Commerce Ministry and Economic Ministry issued a joint statement announcing an increase of 38 percent to 51 percent for gasoline, diesel and kerosene. Protests erupted in the capital, Port-au-Prince, last week.

Lafontant, a 57-year-old doctor who took office in March 2017, had said the price hikes were needed for Haiti to balance its budget.

Demonstrators continued to protest in the capital on Saturday, demanding government leadership step down.

Amid the protests, the U.S. Embassy last week advised American citizens to remain inside.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. </s> People run after cars were set on fire near the Best Western hotel during protests over a fuel price increase in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Saturday, July 7, 2018. On Friday, the government announced that it would raise the prices of gasoline, diesel and kerosene from 38 percent to 51 percent beginning Saturday, but cancelled the plan after protests around the country. less

People run after cars were set on fire near the Best Western hotel during protests over a fuel price increase in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Saturday, July 7, 2018. On Friday, the government announced that it ... more

FILE - In this March 21, 2017 file photo, Haiti's Prime Minister Dr. Jack Guy Lafontant stands on stage during his confirmation ceremony at the National Palace, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Lafontant resigned Saturday, July 14, 2018, amid criticism for his failed attempt to increase fuel prices. less

FILE - In this March 21, 2017 file photo, Haiti's Prime Minister Dr. Jack Guy Lafontant stands on stage during his confirmation ceremony at the National Palace, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Lafontant resigned ... more

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haitian Prime Minister Jack Guy Lafontant resigned Saturday amid calls for him to step down over his handling of a failed plan to raise fuel prices that set off a wave of deadly protests.

Lafontant told Haiti's Chamber of Deputies that he sent President Jovenel Moise his resignation letter. Moise confirmed via Twitter that he had accepted Lafontant's resignation along with those of other Cabinet members.

The prime minister's abrupt resignation came ahead of a vote on a motion of censure Lafontant, a first step toward asking that Moise name a new prime minister to form a Cabinet to handle the crisis. The prime minister is the second highest official in Haiti after the president.

Lafontant was to answer questions about the July 6-8 riots that followed the government's attempt to raise fuel prices by up to 51 percent as part of an agreement with the International Monetary Fund. At least seven people were killed and dozens of businesses were looted during the unrest.

Instead, Lafontant (LA-FAH-TON) used the opportunity to announce his resignation, while in various parts of Haiti's small protests were held demanding the head of state step down.

As the session began, chamber president Gary Bodaeu wrote on his Twitter account that the legislature "is at a crossroads in history; it must assume its responsibilities." He had earlier called the price hikes "untimely" and "inoperative."

Lafontant (LA-FAH-TON) suspended the fuel prices increases after protests erupted last week but the disturbances continued and calls for the prime minister to resign grew, including from the opposition and some business groups.

Lafontant, a 57-year-old doctor who took office in March 2017, had said the price hikes of 38 percent to 51 percent for gasoline, diesel and kerosene were needed for Haiti to balance its budget.

Government officials agreed to reduce subsidies for fuel in February as part of an assistance package with the IMF. The agreement also included increased spending on social services and infrastructure and improved tax collection in an effort to modernize the economy of one of the poorest nations in the Western Hemisphere.

Lafontant's replacement will be nominated by Moise and confirmed by the Senate. </s> Amidst tension over President Donald Trump’s stance on immigration from certain countries, residents of Haiti, Belize and Samoa will lose eligibility for temporary agricultural and seasonal work visas this year, according to a notice from the Department of Homeland Security.

The DHS allows U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to grant H-2A and H-2B visas to citizens of roughly 80 countries, so that they may travel to the U.S. to fill temporary job openings. But a notice set to be published in the Federal Register on Thursday says starting Jan. 18, and continuing through that date next year, the list will be three countries shorter.

Haiti’s removal has attracted special attention, given that DHS recently announced that Haiti’s Temporary Protected Status designation — which allowed Haitians to live and work in the U.S. following the country’s 2010 earthquake — will end in July 2019. The Caribbean nation was also among those Trump reportedly referred to as “shithole” countries during a recent immigration meeting. (Trump has denied using that language, but stood by the policy he was discussing.)

The DHS notice cites “extremely high rates of refusal” among Haitians applying for H-2A or H-2B visas and “high levels of fraud and abuse and a high rate of overstaying the terms of their H-2 admission” as reasons for removing the country from the program.

Belize, according to the notice, will be eliminated based on its failure to meet the standards of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act. Samoa, meanwhile, has been deemed at risk of non-compliance when it comes to reaccepting nationals who have been deported from the U.S.

Mongolia will join the list of accepted countries in 2018, according to the report.
The United States closes its embassy in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, due to large-scale protests against the policy of U.S. President Donald Trump.