Haiti crisis continuing amid lack of fuel
Port-au-Prince, Oct 28 (EFE).- On Thursday, Haiti had only partially recovered from the three-day nationwide strike, given the ongoing scarcity of fuel, which is vital for powering generators that provide electricity to businesses, agencies and hospitals.
The National Police announced that on Thursday fuel would begin to be distributed but in Port-au-Prince gasoline stations remain closed and traffic flow is at just a fraction of normal levels.
Some hospitals that find themselves in a very urgent situation due to the lack of fuel will – supposedly – begin receiving fuel deliveries in the coming hours.
The local provider for UNICEF is scheduled to deliver fuel to three healthcare centers – the Hospital La Paix, the state university hospital and the Ambulance Center – which will each receive 2,000 gallons, a spokesman for the organization told EFE.
In the task of distributing the fuel, the Haitian police will be aided by the United States, the White House announced on Wednesday, although the US government provided no details regarding how or when that help will be forthcoming.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that the US objective is to support Haiti’s National Police to ensure that transportation corridors remain open so that fuel can be delivered.
The armed G9 Fanmi e Alye gang has been impeding fuel distribution, attacking providers and blocking access to loading terminals, using these tactics to extort the government and demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry.
Armed groups control extensive territories in the capital metro area, preventing the passage of shipments of any goods or supplies, not just fuel.
The activities of the gangs continue to cause problems for the distribution of humanitarian aid in the southern part of the country, the area most affected by the earthquake last August that killed 2,200 people.
Caritas “has found itself obligated to halt its activities in Haiti” this week due to the lack of fuel, road blockades and lack of security, such that “all employees are at home until further orders,” the representative of the organization for Haiti and the Dominican Republic, Juan Manuel Diaz Parrondo, told EFE.
