At least six people have died in nearly weeklong protests demanding that President Jovenel Moise resign in Haiti, which saw fresh tensions and a major prison break Tuesday.

All 78 detainees at the prison in Aquin, a city of around 100,000 on the south coast of the country's Tiburon Peninsula, escaped around midday, a national police spokesman said.

The exact circumstances of the prison break are unclear, but witnesses said it took place during an anti-Moise demonstration in front of the police station adjoining the penitentiary.

Some 200 kilometers (120 miles) north of the prison, Port-au-Prince also saw clashes between police and hundreds of protesters in working-class neighborhoods.

Thousands of people took to the streets. After police forces dispersed them, some set fire to cars and looted stores to express their mounting frustrations over growing social inequalities worsened by systemic corruption.

A youth was also shot dead at a crossroads near the presidential palace.

The former French colony is in the grip of a political crisis that has seen citizens demonstrate in the capital Port-au-Prince and elsewhere over the last week to demand Moise's resignation.

Barricades have sprung up in some areas of the capital and other cities, with protesters demanding the president answer reports of mismanagement and possible embezzlement of development funds in the impoverished Caribbean nation.

Police only provided a toll after the first day of nationwide protests on February 7, with two killed on the sidelines of the marches. Since then, AFP has counted four other people shot dead.

Amid the degradation in security conditions, the US State Department ordered all minor children of diplomats posted at the American embassy in Haiti to leave the country.

In a statement, the agency also "approved the authorized departure of adult family members and non-emergency US personnel."

Prison conditions in Haiti are considered to be among the most inhumane in the world by human rights groups. Detainees face extremely crowded conditions, poor hygiene, food shortages and a lack of health care.

The justice system is notoriously slow and has been blamed for contributing to the crisis.

In October, an investigation found that three quarters of the 11,839 people imprisoned in Haiti were still waiting for a court ruling -- a delay that has sometimes stretched beyond a decade.

Demonstrators are demanding Moise quit over a scandal centering on the Petrocaribe fund, under which Venezuela supplied Haiti and other Caribbean and Central American countries with oil at cut-rate prices and on easy credit terms for years.

"The president lied to us. These promises of giving us work so we can finally have money to buy food was just bluffing," said Vanel Louis-Paul, who joined protesters demanding change.

"Look, he's been in power for two years and people are starving now more than ever. If Jovenel won't go, we will make the bourgeoisie that supported him suffer so it understands."

Adding to the mounting frustration, investigations have shown that nearly $2 billion from the program were misused.

A report released in January on the misuse of the money also named a company that was then headed by Moise as a beneficiary of funds from a road construction project that never had a signed contract.

During his election campaign, Moise promised "food on every plate and money in every pocket," yet most Haitians still struggle to make ends meet and face inflation that has risen 15 percent since his election.

A mediation group composed of a senior officials from the UN, Brazil and a coalition of Western nations has called on Haiti's politicians to enter dialogue over the crisis, lamenting the loss of life and damage caused by the protests.

While the government has offered no response to the demands of demonstrators, opposition groups have also failed to spell out any concrete solution to the crisis, beyond calling for the president to step aside.</s>Haiti’s man in Washington, an ambassador with seven years under his belt defending his country’s image, has been recalled.

At a time when Haiti is facing critical issues that need representation before the Trump administration, Paul Altidor, received a letter on Tuesday informing him that his services will no longer be needed. The recall was effective immediately.

“We accomplished a lot here at the embassy,” Altidor said.

He took Haiti’s diplomatic mission on Embassy Row in Washington from a place where Haitians only went to get passports and resolve document issues, to a cultural hotspot where visitors can bask in Haitian culture from art to cooking to artistry.

Altidor, 45, had submitted his resignation to President Jovenel Moïse a year ago. But the president had asked him to stay on, and in recent days had found himself fielding calls from concerned U.S. lawmakers and their staffers about the ongoing violent demonstrations that have rattled Haitians and paralyzed major cities.

Since Thursday, thousands of Haitians have taken to the streets in Port-au-Prince and other cities throughout the impoverished country to protest against skyrocketing prices, double-digit inflation, currency devaluation and corruption. In their anger and frustration, they’ve lashed out at businesses and demanded the resignation of Moïse, who has insisted that his five-year presidential mandate is not up for debate.

On the same day that Altidor received his recall letter Tuesday, protesters burned a popular Port-au-Prince street market and looted stores while 78 prisoners broke out of jail in a small southern town. The European Union mission, concerned about the ongoing unrest, hired a charter to fly dependents to the neighboring Dominican Republic.

Meanwhile, the 15-member Caribbean Community, which Haiti is a member of, appealed to all to engage in constructive dialogue and to respect the Constitution, the rule of law and democratic processes so that issues can be resolved in a peaceful atmosphere. It also called for a cessation of the violence to allow for the return to a state of normalcy.

It was the sixth day of what’s being dubbed, “Operation lock down Haiti,” in which the opposition has vowed to keep the country locked until Moïse resigns.

So far, it has succeeded in shutting down schools, businesses and public transportation, and halting activities across Haiti where roads have been barricades with burning tires, tree branches and rocks.

“The timing is very strange. He’s embattled down here, why would he do this? It begs the question why,” Georges Sassine, president of the Association of Haitian Industries said about Moïse, who has yet to address his nation since the violence broke out. “You don’t change a horse in the middle of crossing a river.”

Adding to those concerns is that the recall comes just days before Haiti Foreign Minister Edmond Bocchit is scheduled to meet with Trump’s National Security Adviser John Bolton.

Bocchit, who last week visited the Center for Strategic and International Studies and State Department with influential Haitian businessman Andy Apaid, has been seeking out support for the Moïse administration in Washington ever since Haiti agreed to broke with longtime ally Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and recognize acting opposition leader Juan Guaidó as president.

civil society movement that forced the ouster of president Jean-Bertrand Aristide from power in 2004 amid a bloody revolt.

A former adviser for the World Bank’s International Financial Corporation and vice president of the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, Altidor came into the ambassador’s role with no public diplomacy experience during president Michel Martelly’s administration.

Determined to change the narrative of his crisis-plagued country, he opened up the embassy to congressional lawmakers, fellow ambassadors and Haitians. Among those who have visited the mission: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Georgia Democrat Rep. John Lewis and media executive and entrepreneur Cathy Hughes of Radio One.

“We opened the embassy up to the outside public,” Altidor said, noting that instead of going to meet members of Congress on Capitol Hill, they often came to him. And very often these meetings were held not in the top floor office, but in the bottom-floor kitchen where Altidor often invited lawmakers to join him in a meal of Haitian cuisine as they discussed topics relevant to Haiti.

One memorable meeting occurred in September 2017 as the Trump administration weighed whether to extend Temporary Protected Status, TPS, for Haitians. In between meetings with U.S Department of Homeland Security officials and immigration advocates, Altidor hosted an intimate dinner for about a half dozen Democratic lawmakers to craft a new strategy he hoped would convince the White House to extend the temporary program that has allowed thousands of Haitians to work and live in the U.S..

The strategy didn’t work, but the dinner accomplished something else.

“We have institutions coming to our doors, people who would not be otherwise interested in Haiti,” said Altidor, a graduate of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) who also pursued graduate studies in law and economics at the University of Paris X, in France.

In January 2018, Altidor was in the U.S. spotlight again when it was reported that Trump referred to Haiti and other African nations as “shithole countries.” He was the first and only Haitian government official to respond to the remark, saying he vehemently condemned it and would use the publicity to continue to introduce a new narrative around Haiti.

That narrative has involved getting Americans to see Haiti as a country that is capable of luring investments, and to see Haitians as hard workers who contribute to the fabric of America. No longer did Altidor want Haiti to be viewed in university circles as a place where college students can just do charitable work.

“I made a point to ensure that the U.S community get a glance of the Haitian package, not just some of the bad things like we are seeing right now,” he said, “but from the the history to the culture. Folks should know about that. And we’ve made significance progress.”

Still his efforts weren’t always appreciated. Critics accused him of spending too much time on community relations rather than diplomacy while lobbyists and want-to-be lobbyists, sometimes went around him as they escorted Haitian government officials and parliamentarians to meetings on Capitol Hill and at the State Department. The move often created confusion over who was speaking on behalf of the government.

Even DHS officials once questioned Altidor’s credentials, insisting that he was speaking more on behalf the Haitian diaspora rather than the government when pushed for TPS renewal on behalf of Haitians in the United States. He went as far as writing a letter on behalf of the Moïse administration when Port-au-Prince refused to do so even at the insistence of the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince.

Altidor, who points his embassy’s 24-hour turnaround for Haitian passports, among his accomplishments, said he’s proud of the fact that he’s managed to generate conversations around non-political issues that he felt needed to be addressed.

“The embassy became a relevant institution in the Haitian conversation in Washington D.C. and beyond,” he said.</s>Hector Retamal, AFP | Haitian police try to arrest a man who was caught looting a shop in the centre of the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, on February 12, 2019.

At least six people have died in nearly weeklong protests demanding that President Jovenel Moise resign in Haiti, which saw fresh tensions and a major prison break Tuesday.

All 78 detainees at the prison in Aquin, a city of around 100,000 on the south coast of the country's Tiburon Peninsula, escaped around midday, a national police spokesman said.

The exact circumstances of the prison break are unclear, but witnesses said it took place during an anti-Moise demonstration in front of the police station adjoining the penitentiary.

Some 200 kilometers (120 miles) north of the prison, Port-au-Prince also saw clashes between police and hundreds of protesters in working-class neighborhoods.

Thousands of people took to the streets. After police forces dispersed them, some set fire to cars and looted stores to express their mounting frustrations over growing social inequalities worsened by systemic corruption.

A youth was also shot dead at a crossroads near the presidential palace.

The former French colony is in the grip of a political crisis that has seen citizens demonstrate in the capital Port-au-Prince and elsewhere over the last week to demand Moise's resignation.

Barricades have sprung up in some areas of the capital and other cities, with protesters demanding the president answer reports of mismanagement and possible embezzlement of development funds in the impoverished Caribbean nation.

Police only provided a toll after the first day of nationwide protests on February 7, with two killed on the sidelines of the marches. Since then, AFP has counted four other people shot dead.

Amid the degradation in security conditions, the US State Department ordered all minor children of diplomats posted at the American embassy in Haiti to leave the country.

In a statement, the agency also "approved the authorized departure of adult family members and non-emergency US personnel."

Prison conditions in Haiti are considered to be among the most inhumane in the world by human rights groups. Detainees face extremely crowded conditions, poor hygiene, food shortages and a lack of health care.

The justice system is notoriously slow and has been blamed for contributing to the crisis.

In October, an investigation found that three quarters of the 11,839 people imprisoned in Haiti were still waiting for a court ruling -- a delay that has sometimes stretched beyond a decade.

Demonstrators are demanding Moise quit over a scandal centering on the Petrocaribe fund, under which Venezuela supplied Haiti and other Caribbean and Central American countries with oil at cut-rate prices and on easy credit terms for years.

"The president lied to us. These promises of giving us work so we can finally have money to buy food was just bluffing," said Vanel Louis-Paul, who joined protesters demanding change.

"Look, he's been in power for two years and people are starving now more than ever. If Jovenel won't go, we will make the bourgeoisie that supported him suffer so it understands."

Adding to the mounting frustration, investigations have shown that nearly $2 billion from the program were misused.

A report released in January on the misuse of the money also named a company that was then headed by Moise as a beneficiary of funds from a road construction project that never had a signed contract.

During his election campaign, Moise promised "food on every plate and money in every pocket," yet most Haitians still struggle to make ends meet and face inflation that has risen 15 percent since his election.

A mediation group composed of a senior officials from the UN, Brazil and a coalition of Western nations has called on Haiti's politicians to enter dialogue over the crisis, lamenting the loss of life and damage caused by the protests.

While the government has offered no response to the demands of demonstrators, opposition groups have also failed to spell out any concrete solution to the crisis, beyond calling for the president to step aside.</s>All 78 detainees at a prison in Haiti escape during a demonstration against President Jovenel Moise that is part of an increasingly violent nationwide movement

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – All 78 detainees at a prison in Haiti escaped Tuesday, February 12, police said, during a demonstration against President Jovenel Moise that was part of an increasingly violent nationwide movement.

Witnesses said the anti-Moise protest was taking place in front of the police station adjoining the penitentiary in Aquin, a town of around 100,000 on the south coast of the country's Tiburon Peninsula.

The former French colony is in the grip of a growing political crisis which has seen citizens take to the streets of the capital Port-au-Prince and elsewhere over the last week to demand Moise's resignation.

Barricades have sprung up in some areas of the capital and other cities, with protesters demanding the president answer reports of mismanagement and possible embezzlement of development funds in the impoverished Caribbean nation.

Prison conditions in Haiti are considered to be among the most inhumane in the world by human rights groups. Detainees face extremely crowded conditions, poor hygiene, food shortages and a lack of health care.

The justice system is notoriously slow and has been blamed for contributing to the crisis.

In October, an investigation found that 3 quarters of the 11,839 people imprisoned in Haiti were still waiting for a court ruling – a delay that has sometimes stretched beyond a decade.

Demonstrators are demanding Moise quit over a scandal centering on the Petrocaribe fund, under which Venezuela supplied Haiti and other Caribbean and Central American countries with oil at cut-rate prices and on easy credit terms for years.

Investigations have shown that nearly $2 billion from the program were misused.

A report released in January on the misuse of the money also named a company that was then headed by Moise as a beneficiary of funds from a road construction project that never had a signed contract.

During his election campaign, Moise promised "food on every plate and money in every pocket," yet most Haitians still struggle to make ends meet and face inflation that has risen 15 percent since his election.

A mediation group composed of a senior officials from the UN, Brazil and a coalition of Western nations has called on Haiti's politicians to enter dialogue over the crisis, lamenting the loss of life and damage caused by the protests.

While the government has offered no response to the demands of demonstrators, opposition groups have also failed to spell out any concrete solution to the crisis, beyond calling for the president to step aside. – Rappler.com</s>PORT-AU-PRINCE, Feb 13 — At least six people have died in nearly weeklong protests demanding that President Jovenel Moise resign in Haiti, which saw fresh tensions and a major prison break yesterday.

All 78 detainees at the prison in Aquin, a city of around 100,000 on the south coast of the country's Tiburon Peninsula, escaped around midday, a national police spokesman said.

The exact circumstances of the prison break are unclear, but witnesses said it took place during an anti-Moise demonstration in front of the police station adjoining the penitentiary.

Some 200 kilometres north of the prison, Port-au-Prince also saw clashes between police and hundreds of protesters in working-class neighbourhoods.

Thousands of people took to the streets. After police forces dispersed them, some set fire to cars and looted stores to express their mounting frustrations over growing social inequalities worsened by systemic corruption.

A youth was also shot dead at a crossroads near the presidential palace.

The former French colony is in the grip of a political crisis that has seen citizens demonstrate in the capital Port-au-Prince and elsewhere over the last week to demand Moise's resignation.

Barricades have sprung up in some areas of the capital and other cities, with protesters demanding the president answer reports of mismanagement and possible embezzlement of development funds in the impoverished Caribbean nation.

Police only provided a toll after the first day of nationwide protests on February 7, with two killed on the sidelines of the marches. Since then, AFP has counted four other people shot dead.

Amid the degradation in security conditions, the US State Department ordered all minor children of diplomats posted at the American embassy in Haiti to leave the country.

In a statement, the agency also “approved the authorised departure of adult family members and non-emergency US personnel.”

Prison conditions in Haiti are considered to be among the most inhumane in the world by human rights groups. Detainees face extremely crowded conditions, poor hygiene, food shortages and a lack of health care.

The justice system is notoriously slow and has been blamed for contributing to the crisis.

In October, an investigation found that three quarters of the 11,839 people imprisoned in Haiti were still waiting for a court ruling — a delay that has sometimes stretched beyond a decade.

Demonstrators are demanding Moise quit over a scandal centering on the Petrocaribe fund, under which Venezuela supplied Haiti and other Caribbean and Central American countries with oil at cut-rate prices and on easy credit terms for years.

“The president lied to us. These promises of giving us work so we can finally have money to buy food was just bluffing,” said Vanel Louis-Paul, who joined protesters demanding change.

“Look, he's been in power for two years and people are starving now more than ever. If Jovenel won't go, we will make the bourgeoisie that supported him suffer so it understands.”

Adding to the mounting frustration, investigations have shown that nearly US$2 billion (RM8.14 billion) from the programme were misused.

A report released in January on the misuse of the money also named a company that was then headed by Moise as a beneficiary of funds from a road construction project that never had a signed contract.

During his election campaign, Moise promised “food on every plate and money in every pocket,” yet most Haitians still struggle to make ends meet and face inflation that has risen 15 per cent since his election.

A mediation group composed of a senior officials from the UN, Brazil and a coalition of Western nations has called on Haiti's politicians to enter dialogue over the crisis, lamenting the loss of life and damage caused by the protests.

While the government has offered no response to the demands of demonstrators, opposition groups have also failed to spell out any concrete solution to the crisis, beyond calling for the president to step aside. — AFP</s>Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The prisoners reportedly made their escape while police were distracted by anti-government protests nearby

All 78 inmates of a prison in southern Haiti have escaped from captivity, according to the country's police.

The detainees reportedly made their escape from Aquin prison while police were distracted by anti-government protests nearby

Haiti's national police force said it has launched an investigation into the incident.

It comes after days of demonstrations against President Jovenel Moise, which have left at least four people dead.

Speaking with Haiti newspaper Le Nouvelliste, Chief Inspector Ralph Stanley Brice said the prisoners had initially left their cells for a scheduled shower.

They later refused to return to their cells, and took advantage while police were distracted by a demonstration by protesters outside the prison and its adjoining police station.

Image copyright AFP Image caption Haiti has been rocked by six days of protests following allegations of corruption against President Jovenel Moise

Mr Brice added that barricades made by protesters had blocked police reinforcements sent from Les Cayes, a town nearly 34 miles (55km) away.

The island nation has witnessed six days of protests after a court report alleged that officials and former ministers had misappropriated development loans made by Venezuela to Haiti after 2008.

The report also suggested that President Moise had been involved in irregularities.

Mr Moise - who has been in power since 2017 - has called for talks with the opposition, with no success so far.

Haiti is the poorest country in the Caribbean and 60% of the population live on less than $2 (£1.53) a day.</s>All 78 detainees at a prison in Haiti escaped during a demonstration against President Jovenel Moise that was part of an increasingly violent nationwide movement.

Witnesses said the anti-Moise protest was taking place on Tuesday in front of the police station adjoining the penitentiary in Aquin, a town of around 100,000 on the south coast of the country's Tiburon Peninsula.

The former French colony is in the grip of a growing political crisis which has seen citizens take to the streets of the capital Port-au-Prince and elsewhere over the last week to demand Moise's resignation.

Barricades have sprung up in some areas of the capital and other cities, with protesters demanding the president answer reports of mismanagement and possible embezzlement of development funds in the impoverished Caribbean nation.

Prison conditions in Haiti are considered to be among the most inhumane in the world by human rights groups. Detainees face extremely crowded conditions, poor hygiene, food shortages and a lack of health care.

The justice system is notoriously slow and has been blamed for contributing to the crisis.

In October, an investigation found that three quarters of the 11,839 people imprisoned in Haiti were still waiting for a court ruling - a delay that has sometimes stretched beyond a decade.</s>Inmates have escaped in a major prison break in Haiti as anti-government protests grip the country, according to the country’s national police force.

All 78 detainees at the prison in Aquin, a city in southern Haiti, managed to escape at about midday local time yesterday, a spokesman for the national police said.

The incident comes in a week of protests against President Jovenel Moise, with thousands of demonstrators taking to the streets demanding that he resigns. The protests began after a court report alleging that government officials had misappropriated development loans made to Haiti, which is the poorest country in the Caribbean.

The prison break is thought to have taken place during an anti-government protest outside the prison and its adjoining station. Demonstrations were also…</s>In Haiti, at least six people have died in nearly week-long protests demanding that President Jovenel Moise resign. The police have revealed that all 78 detainees at the prison in Aquin, a city on the Tiburon Peninsula, escaped around midday yesterday.

Witnesses said the prison break took place during an anti-Moise demonstration in front of the police station adjoining the penitentiary. Demonstrators are demanding Moise quit over a scandal centring on the Petrocaribe fund, under which Venezuela supplied Haiti and the other Caribbean and Central American countries with oil at cut-rate prices and on easy credit terms for years.

Investigations have shown that nearly 2 billion US dollars from the program were misused
All 78 inmates escape from a prison in Aquin, Haiti, amid ongoing unrest in the country that has left four people dead.