PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Armored vehicles slowly drive past Haiti's National Palace as police scan the horizon for gang presence. Every day, bullets fly through the area, hitting buildings and people alike.
Most of the territory surrounding the palace is controlled by gangs, but the interim council tasked with selecting Haiti's new prime minister and cabinet requires its members to be sworn in at the palace.
Two local officials familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named because they are not authorized to speak to the media, said the ceremony was scheduled for Wednesday as authorities scrambled to put in place strict safety measures.
Forcing the ceremony to take place at the palace comes as the Haitian government remains in control despite marauding gangs that have previously attacked the palace and vowed to disrupt the ceremony amid daily gun battles. Some people believe that this is a show of force that suggests that Downtown Port-au-Prince.
“Nobody is safe here,” said Josyl Jaimeska, 33, as she sat near the palace on Tuesday morning, waving at the vast park known as the Champ de Mars. .
Late last week, a stray bullet struck Jaimeska right near where he was sitting. The bullet is still lodged in her calf and she hopes her doctors will operate on her soon.
Immediately after he spoke, there was a brief explosion of gunfire nearby.
More than 2,500 people were killed or injured across Haiti between January and March, an increase of more than 50% compared to the same period last year, according to a recent United Nations report. Much of the violence is concentrated in Port-au-Prince.
In a speech Monday at the U.N. Security Council, Maria Isabel Salvador, the U.N. special envoy for Haiti, said the council's priorities should include short-term security planning.
“Gang leaders and other spoilers have expressed their intent to violently disrupt the current political process,” she said. “The need to support efforts to restore safety to Haiti cannot be overstated.”
The gang has been active in Haiti for many years, but now controls 80% of Port-au-Prince, with coordinated attacks that began on February 29 paralyzing the capital and surrounding areas. They torched police stations and hospitals, opened fire on the main international airport, which has remained closed since early March, and stormed Haiti's two largest prisons, freeing more than 4,000 prisoners.
“I'm 63 years old and this is the first time I've seen something like this in Port-au-Prince,” said Renoir-Oxill. He is currently living in an abandoned toilet in the Champ de Mars park after being attacked by a neighborhood gang.
He said the ongoing violence should not hinder Haiti's progress.
“Whatever the circumstances, they have to be sworn in at council,” he said.
The Transition Council consists of nine members, seven of whom have voting rights. The seat was won by Petit Dessalines, a party led by former senator and presidential candidate Jean-Charles Moïse. EDE/RED, a political party led by former Prime Minister Claude Joseph. groups such as the Montana Compact, civil society leaders, and political parties; Funmi Lavalas, party of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. The 30 January Collective represents political parties, including that of former President Michel Martelly, and the private sector.
Several sporadic gunfights broke out near the National Palace on Tuesday as preparations for the establishment of the council continued.
It's a familiar sound for hundreds of people who have been forced to flee their homes and are now living in makeshift shelters near the palace. But they still talk about Sunday's shooting. One of them was struck in the back by a stray bullet in the shelter's garden while buying spaghetti.
Chesnel Joseph, 46, director of the shelter that previously housed Haiti's Ministry of Communications, said the man remains hospitalized and requires surgery.
Joseph used to work as a math teacher, but is now unemployed after the violence caused almost all schools in Port-au-Prince to close.
Local officials told The Associated Press that swearing in council at the National Palace was considered too risky and urged lawmakers to choose a safer venue.
The venue for the ceremony is still being debated, but some Haitians like Marie-Andre Blanc, 46, have doubts that the ceremony will take place at the palace.
“There is no security in this country. Basically all you have to do is pray to God,” she said. “If the top team is not safe, we are not safe either.”
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Associated Press writer Bart Wilkinson in Georgetown, Guyana, contributed.
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Follow AP coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america.
