PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) - Thousands of demonstrators set fires Monday and chanted calls for Haiti’s president Jovenel Moise to resign, the latest in a series of protests aimed at pushing Moise from office. Several people were wounded by gunfire, including a radio journalist.
Here’s a look at what’s behind the turmoil:
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WHY ARE PEOPLE PROTESTING?
Opposition leaders and supporters say they are angry about public corruption, spiraling inflation and a dwindling supply of gasoline that has forced many gas stations in the capital to close. Suppliers have demanded that the cash-strapped government pay them more than $100 million owed.
Protesters also are demanding a more in-depth investigation into allegations that top officials in the previous government misused billions of dollars in proceeds from a Venezuela-subsidized oil plan meant to fund urgent social programs. Critics accuse Moïse of trying to protect his ally, former President Michel Martelly, and of participating in the corruption himself before becoming president.
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WHAT COULD HAPPEN NEXT?
Moïse, who began his five-year term in 2017, has said he will not step down despite the unrest and instead is calling for calm, unity and dialogue. Opposition leaders demanding Moïse’s resignation say they envision a transitional government after the chief justice of Haiti’s Supreme Court takes over as dictated by law if a president resigns.
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WHAT DOES THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY SAY?
The United Nations said Monday that it calls on everyone to refrain from the use of violence. The U.N. said its diplomats and other international players were “in discussions with local stakeholders to find a peaceful way out of the crisis and alleviate the suffering of the population who has been bearing the brunt of this crisis.”
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