PORT-AU-PRINCE — Haitian police on Friday said they had gained control of the country’s main oil
terminal, which had been in the hands of armed gangs for months, although
clashes were reported to be still ongoing in the area.
اضافة اعلان
“Police carried out an operation from Wednesday to
Thursday with an aim of allowing the resumption of activity at the main oil
terminal, which was hijacked by armed men,” Haiti’s national police said on
Facebook.
“Several police units were deployed using armored
vehicles to dislodge the bandits” from the Varreux oil terminal, southwest of
the capital Port-au-Prince, it added.
Armored vehicles and men in uniform could be seen in
a video posted on the police Facebook page showing “the operations that led to
the release of the
Varreux Terminal”.
Despite retaking the facility, however, “the
operation continues,” a police source told AFP late Friday.
Another source close to the company that manages the
site added that “clashes continued between the police and bandits.”
Varreux supplies most of the oil products used in
Haiti.
It fell under the
control of gang leader
Jimmy Cherizier, nicknamed “Barbecue”, on September 12,
although gangs had moved in earlier.
The blockade of the facility led to a virtual
paralysis of the country, aggravating the security, political and humanitarian
crisis in the poor Caribbean nation.
The lack of fuel has also interrupted the
distribution of drinking water, which is crucial in the fight against a cholera
outbreak which is Haiti’s latest woe.
Discussions are underway at the UN regarding the
possibility of sending an international armed force to restore calm, following
a call from the Haitian government.
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