Police agents from various Haitian cities took to the streets to protest against the murder of six colleagues in January and demanded that their bodies be recovered from the higher-ups, local media reported on Monday.
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Uniformed men from the departments of Jeremie, Saint Marc and Gonaïves demanded that the headquarters provide the forces of order with what is necessary to carry out their work and threatened to be absent from their posts if their demands are not met.
According to witnesses, the banners they carried demanded better working conditions and greater coordination between the specialized forces in pursuit of more effective actions against criminal gangs.
Last Thursday, during the upsurge in gang violence in the Caribbean country, six uniformed men were killed by criminals who displayed their lifeless bodies in Liancourt, Artibonite department.
The crimes provoked riots by law enforcement officers who blocked avenues, seized cars including diplomatic personnel accredited in the nation, and attacked facilities at the Toussaint Louverture airport as well as the residence of the Prime Minister, Ariel Henry.
The president arrived in the country from the Celac summit, in Argentina, and called for serenity and unity, while he promised to investigate the facts, as well as help the families of the massacred troops.
At the same time, he condemned the actions of the agents and invited the police force not to become the “wrong opponents”, stressing that children must return to schools and diplomatic missions resume their functions.
These statements were joined by the director of the Police, Frantz Elbé, to ensure that police stations and special units will be reinforced with weapons and vehicles, along with other provisions to support the troops in their work to confront criminal violence.