Amnesty International in an international alert, expresses its concern about the imminent threats of eviction, of about 650 families in the camp Gaston Margron [Carrefour], located on private land.

According to a census conducted by the management committee of the camp, 871 families had lived in the camp, before the eviction on February 15 of about 150 families, by a group of men armed with machetes, accompanied by the local justice of the peace.

Some 650 families currently living in the camp Gaston Magwon are currently under threat of eviction. Camp residents have stated that they had not shown any eviction notice, received adequate notice, nor proposed suitable housing alternative. Some of 150 families evicted in February, left the scene, while others resettled in another part of the camp.

Since then, people with a connection with the alleged owners of the land, verbally threatened the inhabitants of expulsion. According to the testimony, unknowns would have even threatened them, from the road that runs along the camp, to set fire to the camp and commit further acts of violence. Besides the fact that these displaced families are at risk of becoming homeless, the camp residents fear that these individuals attack them or cause a fire to force them to leave, a common tactic, allowing to expel IDPs living in camps in Haiti, says Amnesty International.

Amnesty International said that the residents of camp Gaston Magwon live in makeshift shelters, do not have access to safe drinking water and have poor sanitation facilities and remember that any resettlement process must respect the right of people to adequate housing which should not be victims of forced evictions.

Recall that in the framework of the governmental program 16/6, the Haitian State proposes 20.000 gourdes to each affected family for letting (renting) a housing or small house. These families later will have to assume the cost of rent. However, these families often take this money and will settle in another camp... while the Government seems to condone this practice.

See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-8231-haiti-social-567-families-of-idp-camp-grace-village-are-at-risk-of-eviction.html

HL/ HaitiLibre