Gang warfare in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area has forced thousands of Haitians to flee to safer areas, but their arrival he is generating distrust in the places of reception, where some are rejected for fear that there are bandits among the displaced.
The clashes between the 400 Mawozo and Chen Mechan gangs, which broke out on April 24, have forced at least 9,000 people to leave their homes in recent weeks, according to the latest balance from the United Nations. , disclosed last week.
At least 75 civilians have been killed in the shootings, according to the UN, (Rnddh), an NGO, stated that this Tuesday that has counted 148 murders.
NO FACILITIES FOR THE DISPLACED
The outbreak of violence has led hundreds of people to seek refuge in the streets of Port-au-Prince, where this Tuesday many received medical attention from doctors from the Ministry of Health.
But it has also produced an exodus from the capital to rural areas, regions where the lack of infrastructure and basic services is more pressing, making it more difficult to provide assistance to the displaced.
Abel Descolines, former deputy for Mirebalais, a commune 50 kilometers north of the capital, explained that told Efe that “there are no facilities” in his region. to receive people who “spontaneously move” while the local authorities, “surprised by their arrival, have no means to respond.”
In the last two weeks, the displaced “are arriving by the tens and hundreds”; and they are installed in the public square and in the courtyard of the University Hospital of Mirebalais.
MISTRUST, FEAR AND MISERY
Although it n that they are “traumatized” people. that he has lost everything, “there is distrust and fear.” Descolines.
Mistrust and fear have been palpable in initiatives such as that of the Mirebalais prosecutor, Gabriel Fleury, who has forced anyone who has recently arrived in the city to present information about their identity at the police station. .
The possibility that the belligerents are among the displaced “creates psychosis”; in the town, while “the Police are overwhelmed by events. He lacks the means and manpower,” said the former deputy.
He also explained that the inhabitants of the central plateau of Haiti “are in a difficult situation” and at some point they may come to the conclusion that the displaced increase their misery, which can lead to acts of violence.
PREVENTIVE MEASURES
As in Mirebalais, the authorities in other cities have taken preventive measures in the face of the arrival of displaced people. The City Council of Arcahaie, 37 kilometers northwest of Port-au-Prince, announced that the population that wants to rent a space or receive refugees must fill out a free form.
“This is a way to keep the commune in peace and security. Whoever does the opposite is exposed to the sanctions provided for by law,” he said. the municipal authority.
Examples of preventive measures against displaced persons have multiplied from north to south of Haiti.
In Anse-à-Pitres, the most On the southern border with the Dominican Republic, a document circulates in which citizens are urged to protect their homes: “Let’s not rent homes to strangers. Help the Police unmask strangers”.
“As soon as you suspect that someone has a stranger in your house, notify the authorities”, adds the document, similar to another circulated in the northern city of Cap-Haitien.