Customs officials seized three guns and 7850 bullets in a cargo shipment in Cap-Haitien from the United States on Thursday.
Law enforcement officers arrested Wilner Varien Petit Homme in connection with the cargo shipment, whose final destination was Fort-Liberté, a commune 31 miles from Cap-Haitien. The name of the exporter is Marc Maxirene Benjamin. The firearms seized were three rifles and a pistol.
The news comes as, in recent weeks, customs officials have said they would stop screening shipments if their contract lapses. Source
President Moïse rejects PM Jouthe’s resignation
Prime Minister Joseph Jouthe submitted an undated resignation letter to President Jovenel Moïse and the Council of Ministers’ office Wednesday. But the resignation was not accepted, a source has told Le Nouvelliste.
Jouthe is Moïse’s fifth prime minister in four years.
“He’s always ready to leave, if his departure can facilitate or improve the government’s coherence,” the unnamed source said.
Another source said it’s a tradition for prime ministers to write an undated letter of resignation on the day they become prime ministers. Jouthe has bumped heads with Minister of Justice and Security Rockfeller Vincent, and a recent issue between them caused Jouthe to submit the resignation letter. Source
Port-de-Paix flooded again, prompting calls for drainage system
Port-de-Paix experienced some flooding on Thursday after hours of rain, prompting residents and observers to demand that a drainage system be built in the Northwestern commune.
“I ask the president while working on the Port-de-Paix roads to keep an eye on the [places] that don’t have drainage,” Leonard Junior writes on Twitter. “When the rain falls, it makes the city of Port-de-Paix difficult to function. President, if you don’t do that, then the work you do will be in vain.”
Earlier this year, some roads in Port-de-Paix were asphalted. Port-de-Paix is the capital of the Northwestern Department and recently hosted Haiti’s annual carnival.
Ex-Haiti soccer captain becomes team’s head coach
Jean Jacques Pierre has been selected as the head coach of Haiti’s soccer team, the president of the Committee of Normalization announced in a press conference Wednesday.
A former defender, Pierre played for Les Grenadiers from 2001 to 2010, a stint during which he also captained the team for some time. Jean Claude Josaphat, who previously coached the national team from 2016 to 2017, was chosen as his assistant coach. Source