Haitians erected tire barricades to block the capital’s main streets on Tuesday in a new day of protests against the announced increase in fuel prices, Sputnik agency itself saw during a tour of the city.
On the Champs de Mars, the country’s main public square and very close to the National Palace, citizens set up barricades with burning tires and in Canapé Vert, Tabarre, Delmas, Kenscoff and the airport area.
Protests intensified on Monday after Prime Minister Ariel Henry announced an immediate increase in hydrocarbon prices to ensure availability at gas stations after a prolonged shortage crisis.
Speaking on social networks, the head of government said that fuel subsidies could not be continued if social programs for the most vulnerable were to be implemented and asked citizens not to be influenced by politicians.
But the announcement sparked mobilizations that have rocked the country’s major cities in both the north and south for weeks to protest inflation, hunger and insecurity.
Local media reported other protest movements in Les Cayes (south), Petit Goave (west) and Cap-Haïtien (north), while banks, shops and other institutions remained closed on Tuesday.
Authorities have not yet announced the timing of the increase or the new amount. This would be the second hike in a year after the government hiked hydrocarbon prices by up to 115% in December.
