Friday, a tense situation prevailed in the metropolitan area and in several provincial cities, where several thousand people took the streets to the call of the opposition. The demonstrators opposed to the holding of elections on Sunday 24 January, demanding among other things the resignation of President Martelly and the dissolution of the Provisional Electoral Council...

The demonstration began in Bel-Air, after rising to Petion-ville by Delmas highway, protesters erected barricades of burning tires near the cemetery of Petion-ville and in several streets of the commune. Many windscreens of private vehicles were broken by protesters, the windows of several stores were broken and looted by unidentified individuals. Passersby were attacked, robbed and stripped of their cell phones. A situation of anarchy that caused several panic movements within the population, while the police were rather discreet on the scene of the action...

Subsequently, the demonstrators attempted to reach front of the headquarters of the CEP, near the Place Saint Pierre, planned step in their path nd found themselves blocked by the security perimeter established by the Police on the outskirts of the electoral institution. The security forces make use of tear gas to disperse a violent crowd. Heavy gunfire were reported. Panic then won the commune of Pétion-ville. ne person was shot and at least three cars were burned and several storefronts broken. A young gunman firing at demonstrators who lynched him...

At Port-au-Prince the situation was not much better, where at least one vehicle registered State service was burned. The protesters were very hostile with slogans like "Nou pral boule". Near the Faculty of Ethology at the Champ de Mars, flaming tire barricades were erected. Clashes between police and demonstrators (throwing stones) have been reported, however no official toll of wounded was provided until now.

In Petit-Goâve, a group of people carrying a coffin with a banana over, in order to symbolically bury it

to say no to Sunday's elections. Protesters tore up pictures of Jovenel Moïse, candidate for President of PHTK, the National Road was blocked at morne Tapion...

The announcement by the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) of the postponement of Sunday's elections for security reasons https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-16394-haiti-flash-elections-of-january-24-are-canceled-update-7h10-pm.html however, did not calm the demonstrators...

See also :

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-16396-icihaiti-flash-schools-burnt-the-ministry-requests-the-assistance-of-the-population.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-16394-haiti-flash-elections-of-january-24-are-canceled-update-7h10-pm.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-16363-haiti-news-electoral-zapping.html

HL/ S/ TB/ HaitiLibre