The Secretary-General of the Organisation of American States (OAS), Luis Almagro, has condemned the recent act of violence in Haiti that led to the cancellation of Carnival activities on the French-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country.
“We condemn the violence in Haiti and express our condolences to the families of the victims,” Almagro said in a statement posted on his Twitter account.
He said he was pleading for an end to the violence “and above all it is not acceptable with the intention of a violent change of the established democratic regime,” he said, urging political dialogue; stability and the “formation of a Government and parliamentary elections as soon as it is technically possible”.
Last weekend, members of the Haitian Armed Forces FAd’H) and the National Police of Haiti (PNH) were engaged in a shootout demanding that the authorities accept the formation of the Haitian National Police (SPNH) union.
The clashes also involved persons demanding the resignation of President Jovenel Moise and members of the Haitian Armed Forces.
In a statement, the FAd’H said the assault, which lasted more than six hours, left one soldier dead and two others wounded.
“It would be a shame if real police officers whose mission is to protect and serve go as far as the reproach of attacking the Haitian State’s creator institution for no reason whatsoever. We bitterly deplore such actions which can only be the work of individuals oriented towards the destruction of the country, and their own,” the FAd’H said.
“The Armed Forces of Haiti renew their commitment to fulfill, alongside the National Police of Haiti, the mission assigned to it by the Constitution, in particular with regard to the support to be provided to the Haitian people in the development work in general and in the event of natural or induced disasters in particular,” it said, expressing “deep condolences” to the families of the soldiers wounded or killed during the assault.
Meanwhile, the Specialized Land Border Security Corps (Cesfront) in the Dominican Republic said it has strengthened its surveillance along the border with Haiti as a result of the incident last Sunday.
