Latest news with #PortauPrince
Reuters
2 days ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Haiti's capital in the dark after residents storm hydroelectric plant
PORT-AU-PRINCE, June 18 (Reuters) - Haiti's capital of Port-au-Prince was in the dark on Wednesday after residents of a nearby town stormed a dam and brought it offline in protest at government inaction over gang violence. Gangs have tightened their grip on Haiti, with a record 1.3 million people displaced in the past six months, according to U.N. estimates. Local media reported that residents of the central town of Mirebalais, to the north of Port-au-Prince, marched on Tuesday afternoon into the hydroelectric plant which powers much of the region and brought it offline. Videos and photos circulating on social media, which Reuters was unable to immediately verify, showed them entering the building. They also reportedly toppled an electric transmission tower. Haiti's transitional government did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The outburst came after authorities and gangs faced off in Mirebalais earlier in the day, local media reported, with gangs capturing a security vehicle and setting it on fire. Reuters was not immediately able to verify images of the incident. This would be the second time residents forcibly shuttered the hydroelectric plant in recent months. In May, interim Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime promised swift action to ensure a similar incident would not happen again. Haitians are growing increasingly frustrated with the government as the transition council fails to deliver on promises to stabilize the nation, which has been without a president since Jovenel Moise was assassinated in 2021. A Kenya-led, U.N.-backed security mission to the nation has also failed to make headway in tackling the crisis. World leaders have increasingly called for the mission to become a formal U.N. peacekeeping mission, while the U.S. and Colombia have floated deploying troops through the Organization of American States.
The Australian
3 days ago
- Health
- The Australian
Haiti in danger as UN flags extreme famine risk
Haiti is among five regions at imminent risk of famine, according to a new United Nations report that paints a stark picture of global hunger. The Hunger Hotspots report, released Monday by the UN and World Food Programme, identifies Gaza, Sudan, South Sudan, Haiti, and Mali as facing the most critical hunger emergencies, warning of famine without urgent humanitarian action. In Haiti, gang violence and economic collapse have displaced thousands, compounding what the UN calls a 'red alert' crisis. More than 8,000 Haitians are suffering extreme food insecurity. From a tent settlement in Port-au-Prince, local resident Schneider told Reuters that many families go an entire day without food. "There is no government support. Hunger is ravaging us." Renette, a mother trying to feed her children, broke down: "I haven't given them anything since this morning. The famine is hard, we are about to die." A famine is officially declared when 20% of people face acute food shortages, 30% of children are acutely malnourished, and two in 10,000 people die each day from starvation or related diseases. The UN report also warns that insecurity and funding shortfalls are making aid delivery nearly impossible in high-risk regions. While countries like Ethiopia, Kenya, and Lebanon have improved and were removed from the critical list, 13 nations remain extreme hunger hot spots, with Haiti's crisis worsening rapidly.
CBS News
3 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Haitian man in South Florida under parole program asked to self-deport despite having TPS
A Haitian man living in South Florida under a temporary parole program said he was told to self-deport, despite being granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS), a directive that has left him fearful, confused and uncertain about his future in the United States. His story is one of more than half a million migrants who came to the U.S. hoping to find safety and stability, only to be faced with the looming threat of deportation. CBS News Miami is protecting his identity at his request and referring to him as Paul. "Every day, that's the current situation" "Every day, that's the current situation, not only for me — for all the people that came under this program," Paul said. He arrived in South Florida in 2023 from Delmas, a neighborhood in Port-au-Prince plagued by escalating gang violence. It's the very danger he says forced him to flee. "We're living now in the country because they say they're gonna send us back home," he said. "And then for me, I don't have any place I have to go back home. All my family actually are here." Letter revokes status, urges self-deportation Paul said that on June 13, he received a letter revoking both his parole and work authorization — effectively ending the stability he had worked to build. That same day, he was told to self-deport. "I put myself on learning online, you know, so we got a lot of stuff to pay and not working is not something, you know, that can help us," he said. Since arriving, Paul has maintained steady employment, financed a car, and taken online courses to better his future. Though his family helps when they can, he said he's determined to support himself. A worsening situation in Haiti The original two-year humanitarian parole program was intended as a temporary measure, under the assumption that conditions in home countries might improve. For Paul, that hope has faded. "I know that everybody came under this program expected that the country that we were living before [would] change, or we're gonna have some new opportunities… but it's getting worse from day to day," he said. While Paul has been granted TPS — which should protect him from deportation — the letter he received asking him to self-deport has left him unsure of his rights. For now, TPS for Haitian nationals is set to expire on August 5. Paul and many others in his position remain in limbo, waiting for clarity, and hoping they won't be forced to return to a place they no longer recognize as home.
New York Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- New York Times
Haiti Is Using Drones to Fight Gangs. Here's Why That's Likely to Be Illegal.
A new video released by the Haitian police a few days ago suggests that a notorious gang leader, Vitel'homme Innocent, who has a $2 million bounty on his head, was under attack and running for cover. Other footage the authorities released last month showed explosions coming from the sky. The unspoken message was clear: The Haitian government, armed with drones, is committed to taking the streets back from violent criminals. Drones fitted with explosives are Haiti's latest desperate effort to curb rampant violence that has forced 1.3 million people from their homes. After more than three months of drone strikes in Haiti's capital, most of which is under gang control, attacks appear to have lessened. But no gang territory has been retaken, and though one top gang leader was reported to have been wounded recently, not a single high-value target has been killed or captured. Now, in a surprising rebuke, the Canadian police, which has provided drones to Haiti, are calling the government's strikes illegal. Drone strikes have reportedly killed more than 300 gang members in Port-au-Prince, the capital, according to a leading human rights group. Gangs have retaliated against the attacks by killing at least four civilians. Why are drones being used? The Haitian government has been fighting a losing battle against Viv Ansanm, a coalition of gangs that formed last year and attacked government institutions like police stations and jails. The gangs, which raise money through extortion, kidnappings and tolls at illegal roadblocks, now control more than 80 percent of Port-au-Prince. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Hunger crisis deepens in Haiti, a UN-declared famine hot spot
STORY: Extreme hunger is worsening in 13 global hot spots. A joint United Nations and World Food Programme report on Monday warned that places like Gaza, Sudan, and Haiti are at immediate risk of famine without urgent intervention. The 'Hunger Hotspots' report blames conflict, economic shocks, and climate risks for hunger crises in the hardest-hit regions. A famine is declared when 20% of people face severe food shortages, 30% of children are malnourished,- -and two in 10,000 die daily from starvation or disease. Reuters was in Haiti, one of the places at immediate risk. Gang violence has displaced thousands here, with more than 8,000 people facing severe hunger, according to the report. Standing outside tents in the capital city of Port-au-Prince, local resident Schneider says hunger is ravaging the Haitian community, with many going all day without food, and he says there is no government support. While trying to find food to feed her children, Renette tells Reuters how serious the hunger crisis is for her: 'The famine is hard in Port-au-Prince. I am about to die, the kids are about to die. I have nobody, I have no one to call. Since this morning I haven't given them anything yet. Where you see me sitting now, it's thanks to some neighbors. I will go and check to get something to cook, to feed them, but I don't see how because the famine is hard, the famine is hard. We are about to die.' The report predicts food crises in the next five months and said that aid delivery was being undermined by insecurity and funding gaps. A World Food Programme executive warned that this was a red alert and said, "Without funding and access, we cannot save lives." Some countries such as Ethiopia, Kenya, and Lebanon have improved and were removed from the Hunger Hotspots list.
