In Pictures: Rubber bullets, tear gas at Haiti protests

Several people left injured after the latest unrest during more than a year of protests in Haiti.

l Moise, coinciding with the anniversary of the death of independence hero Jean Jacques Dessalines. [Jean Marc Herve Abelard/EPA]18 Oct 2020

Haitian police fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse anti-government protesters who blocked roads and set fires in the capital, Port-au-Prince, with several people left injured.

Saturday’s unrest was the latest during more than a year of protests calling for the resignation of President Jovenel Moise over corruption charges.

Haiti is currently experiencing a political impasse without a parliament and is now run by decree under Moise.

Many Haitians criticise the government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, alleging it has not done enough to provide treatment or offer economic support to those who lost work due to a national lockdown aimed at preventing its spread.

Police have held their own protests this year, demanding better pay and working conditions. In February, police exchanged fire with Haitian soldiers outside the national palace where police were protesting working conditions.

Earlier this year, a scathing United Nations report accused Haitian police of corruption and failing to protect the population.

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