Haiti - Social : Violent demonstrations in Port-au-Prince
After the submission to President Préval of the report from the experts of the Organization of the American States (OAS) in charge of the verification processes of the disputed preliminary results of the first round (November 28, 2010), the capital Port-au-Prince was the scene this morning, of several violent demonstrations. Some individuals, of which some was armed, have erected barricades of burning tires, blocking traffic and causing panic among the population of several neighborhoods of the capital. Residents confirmed to have heard isolated shots and shooting from automatic weapons.
Gary Desrosiers, the assistant spokesman of the Police Nationale d'Haiti (PNH) reported that 13 individuals had been arrested and two vehicles seized. Without being able to tell if this outbreak of violence was related or not to the submission of the OAS report, while the population is still awaiting the publication of final results by the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP), The Spokesman insisted that these demonstrations, which have not been claimed by policy areas, could be the result of armed gangs taking advantage of the political crisis.
