Gasoline trucks getting filled at the Varreux Terminal near Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Photo: Reuters.
Caracas, November 5, 2022 (OrinocoTribune.com)—On Thursday, November 3, clashes broke out between Haitian police and members of the armed resistance group FRG9 over control of the Varreux fuel terminal in Port-au-Prince, capital of Haiti. The police announced that it regained control of the terminal that was in the hands of the G9 group, headed by former police officer turned social leader Jimmy Cherizier, since mid-September.
Haitian media circulated a communiqué from the government of Haiti that praised the police for its courage and professionality in regaining control of the terminal through which the country receives about 70% of its fuel.
Le terminal varreux enfin débloqué à la suite des interventions policières,informe la primarure dans un communiqué publié hier Jeudi. Pour rappel,la semaine dernière,le chef de gang Jimmy Cherizier annonçait déjà la réouverture du terminal sur la base des négociations avec le GMT pic.twitter.com/Q6qPFZsk9f
— Oracles Infos Médias (@InfosOracles) November 4, 2022
“Fuel will be available at all service stations from Monday,” stated the communiqué.
However, as of Friday, G9 members have regrouped and surrounded the terminal again, journalist Dan Cohen reported from Port-au-Prince. “The battle is on for the Varreux terminal,” he said in his report for Redacted. “The forces of FRG9 have encircled the fuel terminal… They are intent on not allowing any of that fuel out.”
“Even if that fuel gets out—I’ve seen at least 20 other blockades throughout the nearby area,” he continued. “So, it is hard to see how any of those fuel trucks could go anywhere in Port-au-Prince without the police carrying out some major acts of violence against the population.”
I’m in Port-au-Prince, Haiti reporting on the battle for the Varreux fuel terminal for Redacted and breaking stories you won’t see anywhere else. Keep an eye on Redacted’s YouTube channel, and support independent journalism: https://t.co/eMi7ilqM4n pic.twitter.com/USPWIQSUDN
— Dan Cohen (@dancohen3000) November 4, 2022
It is this blockade of the Varreux terminal that the US and Canada have been using as an excuse to militarily intervene in Haiti. They have held Jimmy Cherizier and the G9 responsible for a “humanitarian catastrophe” caused by fuel shortages in Haiti. Cohen, however, debunked this as a US State Department propaganda. “The shortages actually date back to August, before the blockade was imposed,” he pointed out. “There are shortages, but that’s the way it has been for months. It predates any of the ongoing battle right now.”
On Friday itself, a Russian-flagged oil tanker, Penelope, arrived at a terminal close to Varreux. “We were able to track it online—it came from Venezuela,” Cohen reported. Another tanker is reportedly unloading fuel at another terminal of Port-au-Prince. “It’s very clear that Venezuela and Russia are supplying fuel to keep Haiti going, while the US wants to use military intervention to achieve its goals,” commented the journalist in this respect.
Dan Cohen on US Invasion of Haiti in the Making: Ultimately Haitians Will Liberate Themselves
The Haitian people have been in the streets for months, demanding the resignation of the unelected government of Ariel Henry, imposed on the country by the US-led Core Group after the assassination of then President Jovenel Moïse. The protests have turned intense since the de facto government raised fuel prices in August. Cohen explained in a recent interview on Orinoco Tribune that these protests gave Cherizier’s group the impetus to take control of the Varreux terminal and they have since been providing fuel to those who need it the most. “But the United States and its allies, instead of saying ‘well, there’s a legitimate reason for this protest, we need to repeal these fuel hikes and look at the conditions where people are living,’ are saying ‘this is the result of gangs, this terrible gangster Jimmy Cherizier and we have to go assassinate him.’”
Recently Canada and the US supplied armored vehicles to the Haitian National Police, “which is what allowed them to basically break through FRG9’s blockade” and take control of the Varreux terminal, Cohen said.
While foreign troops have not yet arrived in Haiti, US Coast Guard vessels are stationed close to Haitian shores, and US and Canadian military aircraft are in the airport of Port-au-Prince, the capital of a country already controlled by the United States and its Core Group.
Orinoco Tribune Special by Saheli Chowdhury
OT/SC/JRE
Saheli Chowdhury
Saheli Chowdhury is from West Bengal, India, studying physics for a profession, but with a passion for writing. She is interested in history and popular movements around the world, especially in the Global South. She is a co-editor and contributor for Orinoco Tribune.
