The Ministers of Commerce Ricardin St Jean, Interior Liszt Quitel and Environment James Cadet were on tour in the afternoon of May 31, 2022 in the South to try to break the momentum of mobilization of traders and trade unionists, Zoom Haiti News found on site.
The holders of the MCI, the MICT and the ME met, a few hours before, several economic actors involved in the vast movement announced for midnight. The meeting, which lasted at least three hours, was held in the premises of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the South and ended shortly before 8 pm.
The movement, announced with great fanfare, was launched by many economic sectors and unions and was about to take shape from midnight of this Wednesday, June 1, 2022. Indeed, from this hour, all economic activities would be at a standstill in the South, especially in Cayes. Road traffic would also be reduced to zero.
This decision was taken by several sectors of the departments of the Grand Sud in order to force the government authorities to act against the occupation by the Gangs of National Road Number 2 at Martissant.
At the end of the meeting, agronomist Pierre Léger, one of the initiators of the movement, declared that he would give the benefit of the doubt to the ministerial trio, who had promised, as usual, and for about a year, that the State would stop the terror of the gangs and take control of Martissant. After the agronomist’s remarks, some of the actors involved in the movement, which was akin to civil disobedience, were stunned and quickly gave in.
The Minister of Commerce and Industry, Ricardin Saint-Jean, pretending to give a deadline for a thawing of the situation in Martissant, explained that this will be done within a reasonable time, citing the problems of adequate materials not yet available at the level of the National Police.
For his part, the president of the Association of Owners and Drivers of the South Jean Bertrand Banatte, at the end of the meeting, somehow escaping from the journalists who forced him to answer some questions, announced that the schools have until June 15, 2022 to complete the final exams. After which, the movement will be resumed for the most beautiful, he suggested.
For his part, the delegate of the Southern Traders’ Union, Jean Ferguston Calixte did not wait for the end of the meeting with the trio of de facto ministers. Contacted by phone, the merchant swears by the holding of the movement as planned.
Kavenns Laguerre alyas Tonvenn and Marck Henry Simon are two of the political activists who participated in this meeting.
It must be said that the crackling of automatic weapons could be heard late in the night of May 31, 2022, from Martissant to Grand Ravine. Local residents reported armed clashes, but were unable to determine who the belligerents were.
This suggests that the situation could escalate in the hours following June 1, 2022.
We must wait to see what will happen in the departments of Nippes, Grand’Anse, South and South-East, in relation to this movement launched by a group of sectors both economic and civil society. In the meantime, the paradox of Martissant jumps to the forefront. The doors of some schools in the area have been reopened by the Ministry of National Education and Professional Training. But traffic for economic activities is still prohibited by the bandits.
