International

Thousands of displaced people in Haiti flee the violence of armed gangs

Thousands of people living in the areas of Solino, Nazon and Christ-Roi, in the heart of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, have left their homes fleeing the advance of the armed gangs towards new territories, in the face of the indifference of the authorities and despite the presence of the Multinational Security Support Force, which leads Kenya.

“The gang members are very close,” a woman told reporters in tears, who has not known since Thursday morning the whereabouts of her children, who, like her, fled from the gangs, which since Monday have terrorized the Haitian capital, which has already left several dead, according to different media.

Last Sunday the leader of Vivre Ensemble, former police officer Jimmy Cherizier alias ‘Barbecue’, announced a resurgence of violence and asked the population not to leave their homes if it was not necessary, which has led to the paralysis of activities in the capital of impoverished Haiti.

Several dead in Haiti due to gang violence

Between Monday and this Thursday, several people have died, either at the hands of the gangs themselves or in clashes between armed gangs, according to local media.

Panic reigns in the different neighborhoods near the areas already under the control of the gangs, which last Monday shot two American commercial planes, which led to the closure of the Toussaint Louverture international airport, the main one in the country, and the suspension of flights by several companies.

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EFE could observe this Thursday men, women and especially children with suitcases on their backs, or at least bags on their heads, fleeing their neighborhoods threatened by the gangs, trying to save what they could. A few people were able to move, taking everything with them.

Thousands of people have taken refuge in Bourdon, on the premises of the Citizen Protection Office, which had been housing students from the Faculty of Law and Economics of Port-au-Prince for several months, when she was evicted by the gangs.

More than 1,000 dead

This is the umpteenth public space invaded by displaced people fleeing the atrocities of the armed gangs belonging to the coalition of alias Barbecue.

Between July and September alone, at least 1,223 people died and 522 were injured as a result of violence and the fight against gangs, according to the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (Binuh).

Added to this are the 3,900 victims between dead and wounded in the first half of the year, after 2023 closed with about 8,000 victims.

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Haiti had, until last September, 702,973 internally displaced people, according to official figures from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and it is very likely that these figures will increase with the upsurge in gang violence

International

Man arrested after deliberately driving into seven children in Osaka

Japanese police arrested a man on Thursday after he rammed his car into a group of seven schoolchildren in an apparent deliberate attack in the city of Osaka.

The children, who were on their way home from school, sustained injuries and were taken to the hospital. All seven remained conscious, according to local authorities.

An Osaka police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the suspect is a 28-year-old man from Tokyo. The officer shared statements the man made after his arrest: “I was fed up with everything, so I decided to kill people by driving into several elementary school children,” the suspect reportedly said.

The man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

The injured children, aged between seven and eight, included a seven-year-old girl who suffered a fractured jaw. The six other children—all boys—suffered minor injuries such as bruises and scratches and were undergoing medical evaluation.

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Witnesses described the car as “zigzagging” before hitting the children. One witness told Nippon TV that a girl was “covered in blood” and the others appeared to have scratches.

Another witness said the driver, who was wearing a face mask, looked to be in shock when school staff pulled him from the vehicle.

Violent crimes are rare in Japan, though serious incidents do occur from time to time. In 2008, Tomohiro Kato drove a two-ton truck into pedestrians in Tokyo’s Akihabara district, then fatally stabbed several victims. Seven people were killed in that attack.

Internacionales

Clashes erupt during may day protests across France amid calls for better wages

May Day protests in France were marked by a heavy police presence and clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement in several cities.

In Paris, Lyon, and Nantes, thousands took to the streets to demand better wages, fairer working conditions, and to voice their dissatisfaction with President Emmanuel Macron’s government.

While the majority of the demonstrations remained peaceful, isolated confrontations broke out in some areas. Protesters threw objects at the police, prompting the use of tear gas and resulting in several arrests.

Videos showing police crackdowns circulated widely on social media, drawing criticism from labor unions and human rights advocates, who denounced the authorities’ response to the protests.

International

Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claimed that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has deported “more than half a million” migrants due to pressure from former President Donald Trump.

During a cabinet meeting highlighting the “achievements” of Trump’s administration in its first 100 days, Noem asserted that under the Republican leader’s influence, “Mexico has finally come to the table” to negotiate on migration and fentanyl trafficking.

“The president of Mexico told me she has returned just over half a million people before they reached our border,” Noem stated, criticizing media reports that suggest the Biden administration deported more migrants than Trump’s.

“I wish those deportations were counted,” Noem added, “because those people never made it to our border—she sent them back because you made her.” She went on to thank Trump: “They never made it here because they got the message—because you were so aggressive.”

Noem has made controversial claims about Sheinbaum in the past, prompting the Mexican leader to refute them.

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On April 1, Sheinbaum responded to one such statement by declaring, “The president answers to only one authority, and that is the people of Mexico,” after Noem said on Fox News that she gave Sheinbaum “a list of things Trump would like to see” and that Mexico’s actions would determine whether Trump granted tariff relief.