Port-au-Prince, Dec 12 (EFE).- The Haitian government has adopted a “firm” action plan to combat the insecurity threatening the Caribbean country as gang attacks increased and have killed at least 200 people since the weekend, officials said on Thursday.
The plan aims to eradicate banditry and crime, restore peace and stability throughout the country, and ensure the free passage of people and goods, especially in critical areas, including the Port-au-Prince metropolitan region.
The decision was taken on Wednesday at a “strategic meeting” of the Supreme Council of the National Police (CSPN), chaired by Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, according to a statement released Thursday.
“The restoration of order and security remains an absolute priority for the government,” the statement continued, “committed to a decisive response to national insecurity.”
In another massacre last week, some 180 people, mostly elderly, were killed in the populous Cité Soleil district of the capital Port-au-Prince by men loyal to Micanor Altes, alias King Mikano (Wa Mikano), after he accused the targets of practicing witchcraft against his son who is seriously ill.
In the statement, Prime Minister Fils-Aimé stressed his “firm commitment” to act with determination to “resolve once and for all the security crisis.”
“Peace and stability are not options, they are imperatives. My government will take all necessary measures urgently to restore order and security throughout the country,” he promised.
The government called on the Haitian people “to be united and resilient. Together, we will overcome this difficult period to build a future where every citizen can live in peace and security,” the statement read.
Fils-Aimé said he was committed to keeping the Haitian people informed of the progress in implementing these measures and stressed that security remains at the heart of his government’s priorities. EFE
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