Just over a week after the start of protests in Haiti, several diplomatic missions have decided to bring relatives of embassy staff to safety, according to media reports. The US State Department has requested the departure of children, the news agency HPN reported yesterday.
In addition, the European Union’s representative in Port-au-Prince decided to bring family members to the Dominican Republic. The Austrian Foreign Ministry advises against unnecessary travel and special caution. Demonstrators erected roadblocks for the seventh consecutive day, demanding the resignation of President Jovenel Moise.
Public life stands still
Public life has largely come to a standstill since the beginning of the violent protests. Schools remained closed, public transport partially closed. Some neighborhoods in Port-au-Prince are completely closed. The protesters accuse the government of embezzling money from a relief fund that was supposed to be used to rebuild after the devastating 2010 earthquake. The earthquake killed hundreds of thousands of people.
Haiti is considered the poorest country in the western hemisphere. The state is largely dependent on foreign aid payments, in addition to the rampant corruption, violent crime is a major problem. The protests started last Thursday and several people lost their lives since then. An official number of the dead was initially not disclosed. Haiti is located in the west of the island of Hispaniola, in the eastern half is the Dominican Republic, which is politically more stable.
