Haiti (MNN) — Haiti prepares for country-wide protests as opposition leaders call on the current president, Jovenel Moïse, to step down. Some are concerned he is trying to amass too much power, and want elections for a new parliament.
Moïse’s term is ending, but he claims he has one more year due to the chaos of the last election that prevented him from taking office at first. During his time in office, he has been accused of embezzlement and fraud.
Haiti’s current president Jovenel Moïse. (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain)
But Eva DeHart of For Haiti with Love says hunger drives much of the unrest. “People are blaming him totally for what’s going on. They want him out of there. He says his term’s not up, he’s not leaving. So it’s kind of a standoff. The difference with Haiti is that they pre-plan their riots, they actually get approval for their riots. Port-au-Prince was scheduled to explode in February. But it’s our understanding that might be accelerated.”
Kidnapping for food
Dehart says many desperately hungry Haitians have resorted to kidnapping to get ransom money to buy food. “They’ll take anybody that isn’t begging for food with the hopes that [their families] can exchange food to get them back. You’ve got children as young as five on the streets begging for food or money to get food. And you’ve got a major section of teenagers and young adults doing the kidnapping.”
The For Haiti with Love burn clinic continues to see patients during this chaotic time, healing their wounds and sharing the Gospel. Fuel shortages in the country mean more people are using motorcycles, which can lead to more injuries and burns.
DeHart asks listeners to pray, “Just for the peace and calm of the staff that they focus on the people coming in and not on what’s happening in the rest of the country.”
And pray God would enable Haitians to be able to get food during this difficult time.
The header photo shows a house in Haiti. (Image by smattern from Pixabay)
