Crisis in Haiti worsens as President remains silent

Port-au-Prince, Feb 15 (IANS) The political and economic crisis in Haiti has worsened eight days after violent protests began against the government led by President Jovenel Moise.

The protest, in which nine persons have died so far, began on February 7, coinciding with the second anniversary of Moise's rise to power, whose resignation the protesters demand, Efe news reported on Friday.

While people are in the streets, desperate for food and water, the President has remained silent since February 9 when he called for dialogue, which was rejected by the leaders of the protest.

In a press conference on Thursday, Senate President Carl Murat Cantave urged Moise and Prime Minister Jean Henry Ceant to speak to the nation while calling for dialogue to resolve the crisis.

He said that "after a week of crisis the country needs responsible leaders".

The capital remains paralyzed as schools, banks, petrol stations and several business establishments are closed.

Transport in the capital remains precarious, with only motorcycles providing service, and several streets are blocked.

A woman citizen said it is "very serious what is happening in the country" and the poor "are the one who suffer the most".

The violence in the streets as a result of the demonstrations has forced some embassies to temporarily suspend some services.

The protests, which have increased insecurity in this Caribbean nation and caused a climate of chaos and uncertainty, are taking place amid a severe economic crisis, aggravated by a sharp depreciation of the gourde -- the official currency -- and by the electricity crisis resulting from the shortage of gasoline.