How Haiti's capital erupted in gunfire over the weekend when police and the army clashed, killing a soldier and canceling Carnival
At about 12 p.m., on Sunday, February 23, a gun battle broke out in Haiti's capital Port-Au-Prince, as dozens of armed and masked men, who said they were police, protested for better work conditions.
Since the end of last year, Haitian police officers have been demonstrating against poor working conditions, better pay, and the ability to unionize. Matters escalated about a month ago when six officers were fired after they tried to join a union.
Sources: The New York Times, Time
In recent months, Haiti, the poorest country in the Carribean, has experienced a break out in gang wars, a spike in kidnappings, and, according to The Guardian, 3.7 million residents are in need of urgent food assistance.
Sources: The Guardian, The New York Times
Haiti's president Jovenel Moise has been unable to improve the country's conditions, these protests weren't directly aimed at him. But they did stem from the country's sweeping unrest over Haiti's weak economy.
Sources: The Guardian, Time
Things escalated on Sunday afternoon as Carnival, a "three-day raucous event," according to Time, was due to begin. Carnival and its funding were the "final straw" for protestors.
Sources: The Guardian, Time
As armed, plain-clothed officers, and their supporters took to the streets, they shouted, "No money for police officers but enough money for carnival."
Source: The Guardian
The procession headed towards the presidential palace but was interrupted outside the army's headquarters. The army was only recently reformed in 2017, after being disbanded in 1995, when Haiti's dictatorship fell.
Sources: The Guardian, PBS
It's not entirely clear, but reports said that the two factions started shooting at each other after officers fired into the sky.
Source: The Guardian
Gunfire was exchanged for hours. At one point, a drone was spotted taking photos of the battle. Officers followed the drone back to Radio Caraibes, a broadcaster, and opened fire on the building. There have been no reports of anyone being hurt there.
Source: ABC News
It wasn't just police and soldiers that were fighting. Protesters, armed with machetes, showed their support.
Young people joined in, too.
More officers, wielding semi-automatic weapons, joined the gun battle, which lasted until about 6 p.m.
Sources: The Guardian, Time
At least three police officers were injured, and one soldier was killed.
By Sunday evening, the Haitian government announced Carnival was canceled to "avoid a bloodbath."
Source: Time
The Haitian government released a statement that said the attacks were an attack against freedom and democracy, according to The New York Times.
Source: The New York Times
That wasn't how police officers saw their demonstration, though. A gunman in a black-and-white clown mask told a reporter they wanted their fired colleagues reinstated, and a pay rise for all police officers. He spoke anonymously, because he wasn't authorized to speak to the press.
Sources: Time, Business Insider
While Sunday's deadly gunfight eventually ended, the struggle continues between police and the Haitian government to meet the officers' demands. "Until this is done we will not sit and talk," a protestor said. "The president has proven that he does not care about our demands."
Sources: ABC News
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