Haiti cracks down on heavily armed environmental agents after clashes with police
ABC News
Haiti is cracking down on a state environmental department whose heavily armed agents have grown more powerful in recent months and were blamed for violent clashes with police last week
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- Haiti’s government on Monday announced a crackdown on a state environmental department whose heavily armed agents have grown more powerful in recent months and were blamed for violent clashes with police last week.
The government ordered all workers with the National Agency for Protected Areas to report themselves to the nearest office of the Ministry of the Environment so they can be registered.
Authorities also announced that no armed environmental agents are allowed to circulate within towns or cities, without exceptions, “in order to improve the security climate of the country and to bring peace and tranquility for all Haitians.”
The crackdown comes almost a week after the administration of Prime Minister Ariel Henry announced the restructuring of the National Agency for Protected Areas given what it called “serious problems of institutional dysfunction.”
The head of the agency, Jeantel Joseph, was dismissed as part of the restructuring, prompting armed environmental agents in Haiti’s northern region to protest the decision and demand Henry’s resignation as they exchanged fire with police last week. The agents work for a division known as the Security Brigade for Protected Areas that falls under the national agency.
