Haiti petrol stations reopen after 2 months
Excitement echoed through the streets of Port-au-Prince early Saturday as gas stations opened across Haiti for the first time in two months after powerful gangs lifted a devastating fuel blockade.
“Gas! Gas!” People honked as the Haitian capital slowly reverted to its familiar cacophony, and motorbikes swooped past.
Sweat trickled down the brows of people pushing their cars and motorcycles into the nearest petrol station, lined up alongside colorful minibuses called “tap taps” emblazoned with messages such as “Thank you Jesus.”
“I think it’s the day life starts again.
He and his employees were finally able to get around Haiti with ladders and other bulky equipment that couldn’t be easily carried on the handful of motorcycles that were in circulation during the lockdown.
“My team is going to bounce back,” said Jean-Pierre.
Haiti paralyzed after gang blockaded fuel terminals
Life in Haiti has been paralyzed since a gang coalition known as the G9 seized control of the area around the main fuel terminal in mid-September, leaving millions like Jean-Pierre temporarily unemployed. lost.
The move, which was intended to oust Prime Minister Ariel Henry after she announced a rise in petrol prices, would force petrol stations to close and hospitals to close essential services and businesses, including banks and grocery stores. It has also exacerbated a cholera outbreak that has killed dozens and sickened thousands, leaving businesses unable to distribute drinking water.
About 400 trucks lined up at Port-au-Prince’s newly opened Balloup terminal earlier this week as heavily armed police convoys escorted them to petrol stations in the capital and beyond to fill their tanks.
The truckers arrived as the G9 gang, led by former police officer Jimmy Sheridier, nicknamed “Barbecue”, lifted the blockade days after clashing with police as they tried to reassert control of the area. It was when it was announced a week ago.
Truck drivers delivered 1.9 million gallons of diesel and 1.2 million gallons of gasoline, but many waited in line for hours in the scorching sun on Saturday, fearing they would soon run out of fuel. I was worried it wouldn’t.
front burner20:14‘Slow death’: Haitians face a growing crisis
After three years without an outbreak of cholera, cholera is rampant in Haiti’s poorest areas due to lack of access to clean water. At the same time, nearly 5 million Haitians face severe hunger. Gangs have occupied much of the Haiti capital and important fuel terminals, and the country remains politically unstable after the assassination of the president last July. It is these compounding crises that have led the unpopular current administration to seek international intervention from the United States, Canada and the United Nations, a controversial move in a country with a long history of foreign intervention. In today’s Front Burner, independent Haitian journalist Harold Isaac explains how citizens are enduring yet another desperate situation and why they’re starting to feel like they’re on their own. To do.
“I don’t know how long this is going to last,” said Arnel Fildor, 28, who also fears a devastating economic crisis with soaring gas prices and double-digit inflation pushing the country of more than 11 million people. Was. plunge into even greater poverty. “Not everyone is equal. We don’t have the same ability to survive. We are all dying here slowly.”
During the lockdown, a rare gallon of gas was sold on the black market for a minimum of 4,000 Haitian Gourdes ($37 Cdn), but Jean-Pierre refused to pay, fearing it was mixed with other liquids. .
On Saturday, he planned to buy a gallon of water and fill up his propane tank, a basic errand that wasn’t possible during the lockdown.
Concerns about rising gasoline prices remain
Meanwhile, tap-tap drivers like 40-year-old Marc Andre have been saved by the reopening of petrol stations, but soaring fuel prices and the inability of passengers to pay in full have impacted their livelihoods. said he was worried about
“They got gas at the wrong time when the economy wasn’t working,” he said. “It’s going to be pretty hard for people who don’t have anything. Gasoline looks like a savior, but at the same time it’s going to cause a lot of trouble for a lot of people.”
In mid-September, the prime minister announced that his administration could no longer afford large fuel subsidies. ) to 670 Gourdes ($6.26), and kerosene from 352 Gourdes ($3.29) to 665 Gourdes ($6.12). A country where about 60% of the population earns less than his $2.50 a day.
Jean-Joel Destin, 39, a Tap Tap driver, said the government did not understand what he had to endure to earn a living in Haiti.
“I have no one to turn to,” he said.
Haiti petrol stations reopen after 2 months
Source link Haiti petrol stations reopen after 2 months
