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At least 66 people died or disappeared between January and July in the capital of Haiti

At least 66 people died or disappeared in the towns of Gressier and Carrefour, south of the capital of Haiti, between January and July of this year, in attacks perpetrated by armed gangs, according to a report by the National Network for the Defense of Human Rights (Rnddh) published this Friday.

Among the victims are four agents of the Haitian National Police (PNH), fifteen women and a minor, according to the report, which also reveals that twelve of the victims were between 60 and 80 years old.

The document emphasizes that armed bandits wear police uniforms, move with their firearms in vehicles and motorcycles equipped with police sirens, and demand that local residents pay them a periodic sum based on the number of people who live in the houses or who perform an income-generating activity.

“Police interventions to regain control of these two towns are very few and so far have not yielded any results,” denounced Rnddh, who maintains that the relatives of these victims and witnesses have described the horror they have experienced in a context marked by a marked deterioration of the situation in this depressed Caribbean country.

Hundreds of homes were looted, set on fire or illegally occupied, while vehicles have been stolen or burned and goods have been destroyed, according to the report on the situation.

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At least 12 tolls have been installed at the southern entrance of Port-au-Prince, from Portail de Léogane to Gressier, and armed bandits have established a daily collection system in at least six markets.

Dozens of women and girls raped them in a group. The NGO was able to locate 46 survivors of rape, including three minors.

Some of these victims were raped in their homes and then had to flee after witnessing the murder of a relative.

Others kidnapped them in their homes and taken them to places where they were received naked men, who waited for them to rape them in a group for several hours or days.

“During these rapes, women and girls were also interrogated, severely beaten and insulted” by members of armed gangs, Rnddh’s investigation adds.

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Since the end of October 2023, Carrefour and Gressier have been experiencing unprecedented armed violence, characterized by massacres and armed attacks perpetrated by the bandits.

It is also characterized by rapes and collective violations, robberies, looting, house fires, decapitalization of merchants and massive displacement of the population, a situation that has worsened this year.

The Transitional Presidential Council and the Superior Council of Police, chaired by the Prime Minister, Gary Conille, have promised to restore order and security in the area and affirm that security is a priority, however, they absorb a very important part of the agents for their personal safety and that of their families, to the detriment of the community, the report criticizes.

He also affirms that the agents of the Multinational Security Support Mission (MMAS), headed by Kenya and deployed since June, do nothing to help the population suffering from the acts of armed bandits, despite the fact that their mission is to help restore security and peace in the country in general and in the departments of Ouest and Artibonite, especially affected by the phenomenon of armed gangs.

Faced with the inaction of the Government and the MMAS, the armed bandits “gain in confidence and arrogance” and “enlag their territory,” he said.

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The Haitian people “continue to be victims of systematic violations of their fundamental rights to life, freedom and security, physical integrity, psychological integrity, private property and freedom of movement,” the NGO denounces.

“And it is not surprising that the hopes placed by this population in the new authorities and in the arrival of the MMAS agents are already beginning to crumble,” he concluded.

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International

U.S. sanctions cuban president Díaz-Canel over regime crackdown on protesters

Proposal to ratify Miguel Diaz-Canel as president of Cuba

The United States announced on Friday, for the first time, sanctions against Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, citing his role in the regime’s crackdown on the Cuban people as the country marks four years since the historic anti-government protests of July 2021.

The U.S. State Department imposed visa restrictions on Díaz-Canel and other key figures in the Cuban government, including Defense Minister Álvaro López Miera and Interior Minister Lázaro Alberto Álvarez Casas, according to Senator Marco Rubio, who shared the update on social media platform X.

“The United States is capable of imposing migration sanctions on revolutionary leaders and maintaining a prolonged and ruthless economic war against Cuba, but it will not break the will of our people or its leaders,” responded Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez.

In addition, the State Department added “Torre K”, a newly inaugurated 42-story hotel in central Havana, to its list of restricted entities in an effort to prevent U.S. dollars from funding repression by the Cuban regime.

The hotel has sparked criticism for representing a massive state investment in luxury infrastructure despite Cuba’s declining tourism sector and worsening shortages of food, medicine, water, and electricity.

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“While the Cuban people suffer from shortages of food, water, medicine, and electricity, the regime squanders money,” wrote Rubio.

In another post, Rubio also accused the Cuban government of torturing dissident José Daniel Ferrer and demanded immediate proof of life.

Ferrer, leader of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (Unpacu), was among the 553 prisoners released in January as part of an agreement between Cuba and the Vatican, following a decision by former U.S. President Joe Biden to temporarily remove Cuba from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list.

However, Ferrer’s conditional release was revoked in late April, prompting strong protests from Washington. The island has since been returned to the terrorism list after Republican President Donald Trump’s return to power in January.

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International

Two missing after torrential rains cause flooding in Catalonia

Two people are missing in Catalonia, northeastern Spain, after torrential rains hit the region on Saturday night, causing flooding and disrupting rail traffic for several hours.

“We are working on the search for two people in Cubelles,” announced the Catalan Fire Department in a message posted on social media platform X. Cubelles is a town of about 17,000 residents located 50 kilometers from Barcelona.

Emergency crews remain active in the affected area, where the heavy rains overwhelmed local infrastructure and forced temporary closures of several transport routes.

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International

Trump administration begins downsizing ‘bloated’ state department workforce

The U.S. Department of State issued layoff notices on Friday to more than 1,300 employees both domestically and abroad, marking the start of a workforce reduction aimed at trimming what officials have called a “bloated” staff. The move is part of President Donald Trump’s broader effort to restructure the federal government.

According to local media reports, more than 1,100 Civil Service employees and around 250 Foreign Service officers received notifications via email. Those affected will be placed on administrative leave for periods ranging from 90 to 120 days from the date of their dismissal notice.

The job cuts are part of a plan to centralize and streamline the agency’s operations without disrupting its overall functioning. The restructuring was designed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who had previously informed Congress in May of his intention to reduce the department’s workforce by 15%. The State Department currently employs about 18,000 people.

According to the top U.S. diplomat, the goal is to optimize what he described as a “bloated bureaucracy that stifles innovation and misallocates scarce resources,” as well as to eliminate remnants of “radical political ideology.”

The reorganization is expected to hit hardest in offices focused on human rights and refugee issues, which will now be handled by regional bureaus, according to The New York Times.

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“We inherited a system that needed reform, and we are delivering it,” said State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce on Thursday, adding that the Administration is committed to a foreign policy that puts U.S. interests first.

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