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Haiti’s main fuel depot reopens for the first time since September

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti –

Dozens of trucks lined up at a main fuel station in the Haitian capital on Tuesday to fill up their tanks for the first time since a powerful gang took control of the area nearly two months ago.

The drivers were protected by a heavily armed police convoy formed two days after gang boss Jimmy Cherizier, a former police officer nicknamed “The Barbecue”, announced that the union The G9 gang he leads is lifting the fuel blockade and allowing drivers to fill up at the depot. .

Government officials said that the gas station. closed since mid-September, will be re-stocked Wednesday through Friday and open to customers on Saturday.

“We can breathe a sigh of relief now,” said Gabriel Salny, a truck driver. “Hunger almost killed me.”

He said the fuel blockade “has an impact on the country, on all Haitian people.”

Varreux station officials said 45 trucks were supplied with more than 300,000 gallons of diesel and more than 39,000 gallons of gasoline on Tuesday.

It remains unclear whether the cartel will retain control of the area around the Port-au-Prince depot containing about 10 million gallons of diesel and gasoline fuel and more than 800,000 gallons of kerosene.

On Monday, the Haitian Defense Ministry released a statement saying soldiers and police had taken control of the fuel station after 16 operations because the agency congratulated those efforts.

The situation prompted Prime Minister Ariel Henry to demand the immediate deployment of foreign troops in early October, a request that the United Nations Security Council has yet to vote on. So far, the Security Council has only voted to place sanctions on Cherizier.

If gas stations reopen as planned, hospitals and businesses including banks and grocery stores are expected to resume normal operations.

The government has not said whether the fuel price hike announced in September will be maintained. At the time, Henry said his administration could no longer afford fuel subsidies, sparking mass protests and a fuel blockade by the G9 gang union demanding the prime minister’s resignation.


The Associated Press reports Evens Sanon in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and Danica Coto in San Juan, Puerto Rico contributed to this report.



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