International
Activities paralyzed in Haiti in the face of new threats from the barbecue gang leader
The metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince was paralyzed this Monday, due to the new threats of the leader of the coalition of ‘Vivre Ensemble’ (Live Together), Jimmy Chérizier ‘Barbecue’, about possible attacks on several neighborhoods of the capital of Haiti.
Today all schools closed their doors, several public and private institutions did not open, nor did public transport work at full capacity and small businesses marched at a low pace.
In the streets, fear and anxiety were evident on the faces of pedestrians on a day in which intense shootings were heard in several parts of the capital, including the center, which has been under the control of the gangs for almost a year, which has forced thousands of people to flee their homes and take refuge in camps and provincial cities.
Faced with this situation, the Haitian National Police (PNH) has been on maximum alert since yesterday afternoon, after the Ministry of Justice warned in a note of “threats of armed gangs.”
The director general of the Police, Rameau Normil, has instructed the central and departmental directors, the commanders of specialized units and the heads of police stations and sub-police stations to keep their troops on maximum alert and take all measures to counter any attack by armed gangs against the civilian population, according to the Facebook page of the police.
The police added that on Saturday night a “highly strategic” meeting was held to address the security situation.
He also stressed that he has strengthened security devices on several important roads to protect the lives and property of citizens.
In recent days, specialized police units such as the Temporary Anti-Band Unit, SWAT troops and the Search and Intervention Brigade, with the support of heavy equipment from the PNH, operated in several areas of central Port-au-Prince, which allowed road accesses to be cleared to “facilitate the entry of law enforcement during interventions and operations”.
In the interventions, according to the police, there were exchanges of gunfire with the gang members.
On the other hand, last Friday the Prime Minister of Haiti, Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, chaired a meeting of the Governing Council in which ministers and secretaries of state evaluated the progress of the major national projects, with special attention to insecurity in the country.
To combat violence, Fils-Aimé has promised the acquisition of equipment to reinforce the PNH and the Armed Forces, as well as further training of security forces and strategic coordination to carry out faster and more effective interventions.
According to data verified by the United Nations Office for Human Rights, at least 5,601 people died in Haiti in 2024 as a result of the actions of criminal gangs (a thousand more than the previous year), 2,212 people were injured and 1,494 were kidnapped.
In mid-January, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that the number of displaced people in Haiti has tripled in just one year and has exceeded one million people (1,041,000), of whom more than half are children.
International
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.
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.
International
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.”
International
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.
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Caracas shuts embassy in Oslo without explanation following Machado’s Nobel win
Sheinbaum: Urgent to restore access to towns cut off by heavy rains
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
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