Haiti police break blockade of crucial fuel terminal
- Police said officers dislodged the bandits led by Jimmy Cherizier from the Varreux oil terminal after two months
- The gangs’ stranglehold on the port has stopped hospitals from offering critical services amid a cholera outbreak that has killed dozens and sickened thousands
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.
“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 armoured vehicles to dislodge the bandits” from the Varreux oil terminal, southwest of the capital Port-au-Prince, it added.
Armoured 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 said late Friday.
Another source close to the company that manages the site added that “clashes continued between the police and bandits.”