Only 80 kilometers separate it from the violent capital of Haiti, but in the city of Jacmel tranquility reigns, and this has made it the destination of hundreds of people fleeing the terror imposed by armed gangs in Port-au-Prince, whose actions caused more than 5,600 violent deaths last year in this impoverished Caribbean country.
Joane, 45, lived and grew up in Delmas 24, in the Solino neighborhood, not far from the center of Port-au-Prince, but in April 2024 she was forced to move to Jacmel, where she claims to have found tranquility.
“Everyone fled the neighborhood. We run away at night without being able to take anything,” the woman told EFE, who tries to remake her life in Jacmel, doing what she likes most: selling handicrafts.
Since then, everything has changed for her. He has regained the tranquility he lost so long ago. “In terms of security, it’s totally different from Port-au-Prince. There are no problems with armed gangs,” he added.
The exodus to Jacmel, known for its paradisiacal beaches, dates back to 2018, when people began to leave the Haitian capital en masse. In the streets, in markets or on public transport, the people interviewed by EFE repeat the same phrase: “We left Port-au-Prince because of insecurity.
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The capital “is hell, even if they pay me to live there, I don’t go,” said a plumber while doing some work in a house in this city, decorated these days on the occasion of the visit last Wednesday of the president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro.
The metropolitan area of Port-au-au-Prince, where at least a third of the Haitian population lives, is experiencing an upsurge in insecurity marked by the increase in massacres and armed attacks, gang rapes, robberies, murders and kidnappings to ask for ransom.
Thousands of people are forced to take refuge in unclean camps, leave the capital or simply flee the country, seeking refuge elsewhere.
At least 85% of the metropolitan area is in the hands of armed gangs, which multiply the number of tolls, the price of public transport and even basic necessities, throwing at least 1 in 2 Haitians into food insecurity.
Port-au-Prince is becoming an open-air prison, where the free movement of people and goods has ceased to exist. The entire city center, the economic heart of the country, has been destroyed to such an extent that it seems to have been shaken by a great earthquake.
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In Jacmel, however, the reality is very different. People can move freely in the streets and neighborhoods.
With more than 180,000 inhabitants, Jacmel impresses with its beaches and waterfalls, its places and historical sites, its unique urbanism and architectural heritage, and its welcoming and proud people of its city, the first to be electrified in the Caribbean region in 1895, and the place where the flag of Gran Colombia was created in the 19th century.
It is a highly cultural, historical and tourist destination. Its annual carnival stands out for its multiple colors, its masks and its festive atmosphere.
Activities that had completely disappeared in the Port-au-Prince region are rediscovered in Jacmel. For example, students doing their homework in public and illuminated places.
“As soon as everything returns to normal, I will return to Port-au-Prince,” Joane said.
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In recent years, the attempts of the gang members to settle in Jacmel have failed. Some have been murdered and others arrested in this small town where everyone knows each other and where the inhabitants only find out what happens in the capital through the news.
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Ecuador’s Armed Forces carried out an operation on Monday — including airstrikes — against illegal mining in the town of Buenos Aires, in the country’s north, Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo reported.
The mountainous, gold-rich area has been a hotspot for illegal mining since 2017, located in the Andean province of Imbabura.
In 2019, former president Lenín Moreno deployed around 2,400 soldiers to the region in an attempt to curb the illegal activity. “The operation began with mortar fire, followed by gunfire and bombing runs by Supertucano aircraft,” Loffredo said in a video released by the Defense Ministry.
He added that the operation would continue on Tuesday with patrols across the area to locate possible members of “irregular armed groups that may have crossed from the Colombian border.”
The Armed Forces stated on X that the intervention focused on the “complete elimination of multiple illegal mining tunnels” in the areas known as Mina Nueva and Mina Vieja.
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The operation coincided with the deployment of a military and police convoy into Imbabura, which has been the epicenter of protests against President Daniel Noboa since September 22, following his decision to scrap the diesel subsidy.
Caracas shuts embassy in Oslo without explanation following Machado’s Nobel win
Venezuela has announced the closure of its embassy in Norway, just days after opposition leader María Corina Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Venezuelan diplomatic mission provided no explanation for its decision on Monday.
“It is regrettable,” a ministry spokesperson said. “Despite our differences on several issues, Norway wishes to keep the dialogue with Venezuela open and will continue to work in that direction.” The ministry also emphasized that the Nobel Committee operates entirely independently from the Norwegian government.
In its announcement, the Nobel Committee stated that Machado met the criteria established by Alfred Nobel, “embodying the hope for a different future, where the fundamental rights of Venezuelans are heard.”
Sheinbaum: Urgent to restore access to towns cut off by heavy rains
Thousands of military personnel and civilians in Mexico worked tirelessly on Tuesday to clear roads blocked by the torrential rains of recent days, which have left more than 300 communities cut off across central and eastern regions of the country. Authorities also launched mass fumigation efforts in several affected areas to prevent the spread of dengue fever.
The official death toll remains at 64, though dozens of people are still missing. President Claudia Sheinbaumacknowledged that the government does not yet know the full situation in many of the isolated villages, which range in population from 500 to 1,000 inhabitants.
“The reopening of roads is one of the greatest urgencies,” Sheinbaum said. “It’s essential to guarantee air bridges, food supplies, clean water, and a proper census of the isolated communities so we can determine the condition of every person living there.”
Private construction companies are also assisting the effort with heavy machinery and technical support to help reopen highways and reconnect rural areas.
