Haitians Push for the Ousting of President

Protests in favor of Haitian President’s stepping down resulted in violent confrontations. IMAGE: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2019_Haitian_protests_tire_fire.png

Thousands of Haitians poured out into the streets of Port-au-Prince to demand the removal of their politically-embattled President after accusations that he would have caused an economic and political crisis in the country. 

The President’s governmental opposition organized a series of protests which caused the injury of 100 protesters. This happened during a clash between the demonstrators and the national police on October 4, 2019. The march took place in one of the main streets in the capital city, leading to the UN headquarters in the island nation.

These series of protests, which have been gaining traction since February, have recently escalated due to an economic paralysis in the country, which has resulted in children missing school for several weeks, public officials going without pay, and rural areas being especially affected by a lack of basic services. 

Moreover, many protesters have begun calling for the international community to stop supporting their president and end the political turmoil surrounding the country, hence the march to the UN headquarters.

Haiti has been no stranger to misfortune: due to the 2010 earthquake which killed approximately 100,000 people, the economy took a plunge with rebuilding efforts. This tragedy had particularly catastrophic effects on Haiti given that the country is already the poorest in the Western Hemisphere. 

As protests continue, demonstrators do not appear shaken in their conviction to ensure that their situation improves through the ousting of the president. As one of the protesters put it, “we will not rest until Jovel leaves office.”