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Protests Subside, But Economic Aftershocks Rattle Haitians

Associated Press

   PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI - The flaming barricades are mostly gone,
   protesters have largely dissipated and traffic is once again clogging
   the streets of Haiti's capital, but hundreds of thousands of people are
   now suffering deep economic aftershocks after more than two months of
   demonstrations.
   The protests that drew tens of thousands of people at a time to demand
   the resignation of President Jovenel Moise also squeezed incomes,
   shuttered businesses and disrupted the transportation of basic goods.
   "We are nearing a total crash," Haitian economist Camille Chalmers
   said. "The situation is unsustainable."
   Haiti's economy was already fragile when the new round of protests
   began in mid-September, organized by opposition leaders and supporters
   angry over corruption, spiraling inflation and dwindling supplies,
   including fuel. More than 40 people were killed and dozens injured as
   protesters clashed with police. Moise insisted he would not resign and
   called for dialogue.
   The United Nations World Food Program says a recent survey found that
   one in three Haitians, or 3.7 million people, need urgent food
   assistance and 1 million are experiencing severe hunger. The WFP, which
   says it is trying to get emergency food assistance to 700,000 people,
   blames rising prices, the weakening local currency, and a drop in
   agricultural production due partly to the disruption of recent
   protests.
   In the last two years, Haiti's currency, the gourde, declined 60%
   against the dollar and inflation recently reached 20%, Chalmers said.
   The rising cost of food is especially crucial in the country of nearly
   11 million people. Some 60% make less than $2 a day and 25% earn less
   than $1 a day.
   A 50-kilogram (110-pound) bag of rice has more than doubled in price in
   the local currency, said Marcelin Saingiles, a store owner who sells
   everything from cold drinks to cookies to used tools in Port-au-Prince.
   The 39-year-old father of three children said he now struggles to buy
   milk and vegetables.
   "I feed the kids, but they're not eating the way they're supposed to,"
   he said, adding that he has drained the funds set aside for his
   children's schooling to buy food.

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