The Government of Haiti stated that, following bloody clashes between protesters and police and army units, it had cancelled the carnival in Port-au-Prince on Sunday to avoid bloodshed.
“To avoid possible bloodshed, the Government is informing the population of the decision to cancel the carnival in Port-au-Prince and calling on the people to remain calm”, – according to a communiqué posted on the Facebook of the Haitian Ministry of Communication.
At least one soldier and one policeman were killed and nine others were injured in shootings outside the presidential palace in the Haitian capital.
According to media reports, the armed confrontation began with an attack by unidentified individuals on the army headquarters near Marsovo Polje, and attempts were made to set the building on fire. After that, there were continuous exchanges of fire during the day between people in civilian and police uniforms on the one side and soldiers on the other.
Protests by police demanding better working conditions were held at the site of the carnival, where army units were also pulled to maintain order. A week ago, police protested in the same place and burned carnival platforms prepared for the holiday.
The social and political crisis in Haiti has been going on for about a year; the protests of September-November 2019 paralyzed the economy of the country and forced the president to cancel his speech at the UN General Assembly.
The demonstrators accuse the President of corruption, economic problems and an increase in crime. The government has been unable to elect a new parliament for over a year after the old one expired.