A strong sense of tension gripped the center of Port-au-Prince on Monday, August 7th. Hundreds of residents from Carrefour-Feuilles and Savane Pistache took to the streets to protest against the authorities' inaction as armed criminals continue to attack and force them out of their homes for several months. Police officer Eddy Doresca was killed in the area over the past weekend while assisting the community in repelling the criminals. The protesters marched through several neighborhoods near Carrefour Feuilles, along Christophe Avenue, before taking the route to Bourdon towards the official residence of Prime Minister Ariel Henry in Musseau.

Police officers used tear gas to disperse the demonstration and prevent participants from reaching the official residence. Outraged, the protesters responded by throwing stones. A government-registered vehicle was set on fire near Bourdon. Burning tire barricades were observed in Bourdon, Lalue, Turgeau, Christophe Avenue, and more.

Protest for ONA-Polis
Furthermore, early in the morning, police officers protested outside the premises of the National Old-Age Insurance Office (ONA) in Delmas 17. Barricades of burning tires were set up in the vicinity and at the entrance of the institution. ONA employees faced difficulties getting to work. The protesters denounce a delay of over eight months in the disbursement of funds granted under the ONA-Polis program. According to some of them, their loan requests were approved several months ago. However, no disbursement has been made, even as they continue to repay the loans through deductions from their salaries.

The ONA's Communication and Public Relations Directorate issued an informational statement in which it condemns the actions of "a group of hooded individuals wearing the uniform of the National Police of Haiti, under the guise of demands, who have created an atmosphere of violence and panic within the immediate perimeter of the Institution to prevent employees from accessing it." In the same statement, the Communication Directorate also assured that "the ONA's management continues to give its utmost attention to loan requests submitted by the General Directorate of the National Police of Haiti (PNH) on behalf of police officers as part of the implementation of the said program." "The last meeting held for this purpose with the Program Manager for the PNH took place this past Friday, August 4th," the statement notes.