Haiti PM condemns gangs, kidnappings in public address

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Prime Minister Ariel Henry condemned gangs and kidnappings in a prerecorded address posted Friday in which he also reassured Haitians that the country was not running out of fuel despite severe shortages that have frustrated millions and sparked recent strikes.

It's the first time Henry has acknowledged those issues in a public address since the October 16 kidnapping of 17 members of a US-based missionary group.

 The 16 Americans, one Canadian and their Haitian driver were abducted amid a spike in gang-related kidnappings that police are struggling to control.

“If they do not stop their wrongdoing, the law will apply to them,” Henry said in his message.

“The only option for bandits and all their sponsors is imprisonment or death if they do not want to change professions.”

The leader of the 400 Mawozo gang that kidnapped the missionaries, including five children, has said he would kill them if his demands are not met.

Haitian officials have said the gang is seeking $1 million per person, but that it wasn't clear if that included the children, the youngest of whom is 8 months old.

Henry also condemned those who are helping criminals by giving them weapons, ammunition and money, including “all those who deal with them so that they can take power.

They are all enemies of the Haitian people, and we are treating them as enemies.”

Henry noted that he became prime minister roughly three months ago following the July 7 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse and found “a country torn, divided, with a state in tatters whose democratic institutions are dysfunctional.

“The nation lives under the thumb of bandits. Citizens cannot leave the capital to go to the south. The country's economic situation is dire. Inflation and high cost of living keep their hold on national life. The budget deficit has reached an unprecedented level and the gourd (currency) continues to drop sharply against the US dollar.”

The prime minister spoke days after a widespread strike led to schools, businesses and public transportation to shut down in the capital of Port-au-Prince and beyond to protest the lack of fuel and the country's worsening situation.

Gangs have been blamed for blocking gas distribution terminals, with at least one gang leader saying he would lift the blockade if Henry stepped down.

Henry said ships are waiting to unload fuel and that the country, which shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic, would not run out of gas.

He added that he has created a crisis unit with top officials from finance, justice, police, public works, trade and other departments to find a “quick solution” to the fuel distribution problem.

The shortages have affected hospitals, ambulances, schools, public transportation and many other parts of daily life.

“This is really catastrophic,” said Solon Cledion, director of a private school in Port-au-Prince, in a telephone interview.

“The day-to-day is difficult. ... We wonder how long this is going to last.”

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