Protests Against Lawlessness Erupt in Haiti
The New York Times
The desperation of Haitians in the face of powerful gangs fueled the calls for a broad strike. The kidnapping of missionaries on Saturday added to the tense atmosphere.
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Small, peaceful protests erupted across Haiti Monday morning, with groups taking to the streets and some burning tires and blocking roads with barricades, to demand that the government restore security in a country where many feel violence and crime have spiraled out of control.
Calls for a broad strike emerged last week, as the desperation of Haitians in face of mounting lawlessness tipped into anger, but the brazen mass kidnapping of 16 Americans and one Canadian, including five children, on Saturday added to the tense atmosphere and underscored the misery of everyday Haitians.
The group that was kidnapped, missionaries working for the Ohio-based Christian Aid Ministries, was taken by the 400 Mawozo gang, a growing menace in the capital, Port-au-Prince. The gang has increased its territorial control over the past year, while the government struggled to cope in the face of natural disasters and the assassination of the country’s president in July. The killing remains unsolved.
