DORAL, Fla. — Armed groups were fighting the Haitian National Police in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Sunday. The airport and the seaport were closed. Non-essential U.S. State Department employees evacuated the U.S. Embassy.
Jacqueline Charles, Emmy Award-winning foreign correspondent for The Miami Herald, told Local 10 News This Week In South Florida’s Glenna Milberg on Sunday that although the historic palace fell during the catastrophic earthquake more than 14 years ago the building there is the country’s symbol of governance.
“There was heavy gunfire around the national palace. We are looking to see if the palace falls,” Charles said.
Haitian reporters identified some of the armed groups fighting to take control of Haiti’s National Palace as “Vivre Ensemble,” the “G Pèp” and the “G9″ led by Jimmy “Barbecue” Chérizie.
The former police officer, who heads “Fòs Revolisyonè G9 an Fanmi e Alye,” creole for Revolutionary Forces of the G9 Family and Allies, talked to reporters about the fight against the government.
“They have made it impossible for people to get anywhere. People are running out of food ... Hospitals have been forced to shut down,” Charles said.
The armed groups do not want a foreign force in Haiti, they want amnesty for their crimes, and they want a place in politics. Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry hasn’t been able to return to Haiti.
“The gangs are going to be the arbiter of Haiti’s political future,” Charles said adding the weapons and the ammunition are from South Florida and the U.S. is the major funder of the Haitian police.
Related stories
- Haiti crisis: U.S. military aircraft flies in and out of U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince
- A timeline of Haiti’s gang violence and how the country got to where it is
- US flies forces in to beef up security at embassy in Haiti and evacuate nonessential personnel
- ‘They messed it up’: Biden’s backing for Haiti’s unpopular leader digs US into deeper policy hole
- Violence is battering Haiti’s fragile economy and causing food and water shortages
- Foreigners trapped in violence-torn Haiti wait desperately for a way out
Copyright 2024 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.
