At Least One Dead in Violent Haiti Protests Over Fuel Costs

By Staff, Agencies

Violence spilled over in Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince on Tuesday as gun fire rung out, road blocks and burning tires were placed along city streets and protesters threw stones in an angry response to expected new fuel price hikes and crime.

The latest demonstrations come as inflation surged to its highest in a decade, chronic gang violence has left much of Haiti's territory beyond government reach, and outbreaks of bloody turf battles between rival gangs have left hundreds dead and thousands displaced.

Reuters images from the capital showed protesters carrying the body of a man at the demonstration. According to protesters, the victim was killed at the demonstration.

Haitians are now bracing for fuel price hikes, after a Sunday speech by Prime Minister Ariel Henry, amid a growing scarcity of gasoline and diesel that could force some businesses to shutter.

Haiti's fuel stocks have run low as fuel importers struggle to get paid for subsidies that keep fuel prices low on the island nation, and due to difficulties in obtaining dollars from the central bank, sources have told Reuters.