Fuel shortage in Haiti: Gangs says they will unblock roads once PM Henry resign

One of the Haiti's powerful criminal gangs stated they will unblock all the major roads once the Prime Minister Ariel Henry resigns. All the roads leading to ports holding fuel have been blocked by gangs, demanding the arrest.

The normally busy streets of Haiti were quiet on Tuesday as days of fuel shortages left residents with few transportation options, and some shops were forced to close.

The fuel shortage and blockades came after a devastating earthquake, the assassination of the president, and a wave of gang abductions, including the abduction earlier this month of a group of Canadian and US missionaries.

The leader of the G09 coalition gang Jimmy "Barbecue" Cherizier, declared in a radio interview on Monday evening that he would ensure the safe passage of fuel trucks if Henry leaves office.

"The regions under the power of the G9 are barred for the only reason; we want Ariel Henry to resign," the Cherizier told Haiti Radio Mega.

"When Ariel Henry resigns at 8:00 a.m., at 8:05 p.m., we will unblock the road, and all trucks will be able to pass to get fuel."

Cherizier's statements reveal how gangs have taken on a more political role after the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in July.

The Cherizier said Henry should "answer questions" which he associated with Moise's murder. Henry denied any involvement.

Elections were originally scheduled for November but were suspended after Henry dismissed the council last month, which called for a vote in favour of Moise. Henry promised to appoint a new impartial council to set a new date.

A video circulating on WhatsApp with the logo of the Haiti Foreign Relations Office monitoring the fuel supply said the country has 150,000 barrels of diesel and 50,000 barrels of petrol at various terminals. Another 50,000 barrels of gasoline are expected to come on Wednesday, as per the video.

A total of 100,000 barrels of diesel and petrol is enough of fulfilling Haiti's fuel requirements for five to seven days, said Marc Andre Deriphonse, head of the association of landowners' associations to Reuters.

Some of the country's cellular networks have experienced service reductions as the fuel for running cell tower equipment is running low.

With an unreliable electrical system, gasoline in Haiti is widely used to power generators needed to maintain basic services, such as hospitals.

The UNICEF children's agency said on Sunday that it had negotiated fuel deliveries to Haitian hospitals but that the supplier later refused to make deliveries, citing safety conditions.

Transport industry leaders have called for strikes to protest against the wave of kidnappings, which disproportionately affected truck drivers and public transport workers.