The number of victims of the protests in the Southeast of Haiti continues to grow. Diego Jean Charles (alias Jacky) and Sony Jacques are the two young boys killed in Jacmel, on the margins of the anti-government protest movements, according to several testimonies collected by our correspondent Marie Vesta Desameaux, Thursday, September 22, 2022.
While Operation Lock (blocking roads and major socio-economic activities with barricades), is decreasing in the capital, some provincial cities like Jacmel, still hold the torch of mobilization against the government of Ariel Henry. Banks and the main commercial enterprises in the city center remained closed and traffic was paralyzed Two young people killed in Jacmel at home
Sonny Jacques died on September 22, 2022 after agents of the Departmental Service of the Judicial Police (SDPJ), attempting to restore order, fired a gun in the locality of Zoranje the day before, hitting the victim in the abdomen. Taken to the hospital, the young man, who was simply at home at the time of the shooting, did not survive his injuries, according to relatives.
Diego Jean Charles (Jacky), as well as the first victim, was at home when he was killed on September 20, according to information received by ZoomHaïtiNews. PNH agents abused tear gas which caused the young boy to have breathing difficulties until his death, his parents explained.
At this point, it is worth mentioning that the more victims there are among both the demonstrators and the citizens at home, the more the city remains blocked, and even more under tension, not to mention the fact that the political and economic crisis remains aggravated.
It must be said that the demonstrations in Jacmel have taken a heavy toll. Indeed, more than twenty people were injured during the demonstrations against the increase in the price of gasoline at the pump, the high cost of living, insecurity and to demand the departure of the de facto Prime Minister Ariel Henry. As for the injured, for the most part, reports indicate that heavily armed individuals fired on demonstrators who appeared to be hostile to certain private businesses in the city of Jacmel belonging to the Kawly family. This has raised the anger of the protesters even more, gaining the streets day after day with more fervor.
In addition, several local socio-political organizations have stated that they will continue to maintain pressure in the streets until the neurosurgeon, Ariel Henry, at the head of the country can see reason by leaving power.
Uncertainty takes place
It should be noted that the city of Jacmel, since August 2022, is on its fourth week of total stoppage if not almost of economic activities in the formal sector, mainly because of barricades of all kinds.
Such a blockage is not without consequences for the lives of citizens deprived of drinking water, electricity and food for many. The largest hospital in the department, the Saint Michel hospital is practically dysfunctional. No fuel, no oxygen or inputs, said Dr. Newton Thursday, departmental director of the Ministry of Public Health and Population in a press conference. The small traders and vulnerable categories of the region are also paying the price of this multidimensional crisis, as they manage to make a living from day to day.
The political actors remain silent, operating in secrecy and leaving the population in expectation, while the government team plays with time and circumstances. This suggests that a thaw in the socio-political situation remains uncertain.
With Marie Vesta Desameaux
