After deadly weekend protests calling for his resignation, followed by a general strike, Haitian President Jovenel Moise emerged late Wednesday to reaffirm his legitimacy and appeal for calm in a televised address.
The strike shut down most of Haiti on Wednesday as tension and uncertainty gripped the Caribbean country following the protests and Moise's unexplained absence from public view.
Haiti is the poorest country in the Americas and is still battling to overcome a years-old cholera epidemic and the aftermath of a major earthquake, alongside political turmoil.
"During my five-year presidency no one, I emphasize no one, whatever the pretext, can threaten the interests of the country or put the nation in danger," said Moise, in power since February 2017.
Making his first public comments since the weekend protests, Moise said dialogue must include all levels of society, and democracy "asks that the rules of the game be respected, according to the constitution."
An armed civilian carries a weapon on during a shootout between rival gangs. Source: AP
He gave his six-minute address surrounded by Prime Minister Jean-Henry Ceant, the ministers of interior and justice, and national police leaders.
Moise had said nothing since Sunday's protests and was supposed to speak to the nation on Tuesday, but his appearance was dropped several hours after being announced, with no explanation given.
The breakdown in presidential communications was widely slammed on social media.
Schools, shops and private businesses were closed in the main cities on Wednesday, in line with the opposition call for a general strike.
As police patrolled otherwise empty main avenues in normally chaotic Port-au-Prince, burning barricades went up in some neighborhoods and sporadic gun shots set residents on edge.
Police disperse the crowd with tear gas, away from the site where a car that careened out of control hit a group of persons in Port-au-Prince. Source: AP
"It's only when the streets are empty that politicians begin to see that there is a problem," lamented Alix Bernardin, 27, a resident of the capital.
"Too much blood has flowed in the country. Jovenel has to go," he said.
A Haitian government car spun out of control and into a group of people on Wednesday, killing at least six and further inflaming unrest in a capital wracked by violent protests.
Police spokesman Michel-Ange Louis-Jeune told The Associated Press one of the car's wheels had come off. Protesters later set fire to the car, which remained on the scene in the capital of Port-au-Prince.
At least three people were killed by gunfire during the mass protests over the weekend demanding Moise's resignation, the national police said.
The opposition said 11 people lost their lives.
"We can no longer live like this, frustrated, because we know how people live in other countries," said Haitian resident Jean Junior, 30, complaining that the people lack "potable water, hospitals, housing" while the president only makes "promises that he doesn't keep."
