First Published Sep 16, 2022, 12:03 PM IST
KuPeople took to the streets in Haiti after the government hiked fuel prices amid rising living costs. Haiti is a country located southeast of Cuba between the American mainland. While announcing a slight increase in the prices of diesel and kerosene, the government announced that the price of gas would be more than doubled. The gas price in the country is controlled by the government. Although the price increase has been announced, it has not been announced when it will come into effect. Algeriza’s website reported that Haitian officials tweeted about the price of gasoline in the country, saying, “Prices in Haiti are much lower than in the international market.”
The cost of importing petroleum products is “9 billion gourds per month [$76.2 മില്യൺ] Coming, this is twice the country’s monthly salary,” the Haitian Ministry of Communications said on Twitter.
After the already increasing cost of living in the country, the increase in fuel prices will make the life of common people in the country very miserable. People took to the streets in all the major cities of the country after the fuel price hike was announced.
Protesters blocked roads in the country’s capital, Port-au-Prince. All the busy areas of the city were literally brought to a standstill. Traffic was completely blocked by pelting stones on the roads and burning vehicles and tires. With this, schools and business establishments were closed in all important cities.
The government is announcing the hike in fuel prices at a time when people are suffering due to rising inflation and gang-related violence. With this, an atmosphere of rebellion was created in the Caribbean country. “It’s a very challenging time for Haiti right now.” Al Jazeera reported that Haitian journalist Harold Isaac said.
In July 2021, the country descended into chaos following the assassination of President Jovanel Moises at his residence. After this, inflation in the country has skyrocketed. With this, reports say that there is a similar atmosphere of riots across the country.
“We are facing a complex set of crises, the most recent of which is the gas crisis, which has really put a strain on everyday people here.” Isaac pointed out. According to reports, ordinary Haitians are forced to rely on smugglers to get fuel.
Isaac says that it is currently impossible to get gas from petrol stations in the country. The government is justifying the price hike by saying that fuel cannot be subsidized as it used to be.
Haiti previously received petroleum from Venezuela’s PetroCarib program. However, this project was stopped years ago. After this, the government faced the country’s fuel crisis by subsidizing local suppliers who imported fuel.
The riots were sparked by the government’s announcement that the price of a gallon (3.8 liters) of gas would rise from about $2 to $4.78. Currently, ordinary Haitians rely primarily on fuel for transportation, cooking, and electricity.
It is also reported that many people are preparing to leave the country. Haiti is struggling to cope with an inflation rate of 30 percent. Incidents of violence have also become common as the country faces an economic downturn. Two Haitian journalists were also reportedly killed while covering violence in the Port-au-Prince neighborhood last week.
Prime Minister Ariel Henry had warned in his national address on Monday that fuel prices would rise. He appealed to the citizens to be patient as the country has many problems and asked everyone to remain calm. He also opined that it works because the government is there.