Haiti - Flights Halted - violence prevents workers from reporting to work at airport - Humanitarians Impacted

[sharon sanders]

Flights to Haiti's Capital Halted Amid Protests


Election protests halt flights in and out of Haiti as employees unable to reach airport


The Associated Press
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PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti December 8, 2010 (AP)

American Airlines has halted flights in and out of the Haitian capital amid protests over presidential election results.

snip


American is the main international carrier.



more...

http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/wireStory?id=12341751

[sharon sanders]

Re: Haiti - Flights Halted - violence prevents workers from reporting to work at airport - Humanitarians Impacted

International community asks for calm and gives support for a fair election:

"As Haiti enters the period of electoral contestation, it is essential that all political actors remain calm and encourage their supporters to do the same. The United States, together with Haiti’s international community partners, stands ready to support efforts to thoroughly review irregularities in support of electoral results that are consistent with the will of the Haitian people expressed in their votes."

http://haiti.usembassy.gov/press-releases-2012/untitled6.html

[Pathfinder]

Re: Haiti - Flights Halted - violence prevents workers from reporting to work at airport - Humanitarians Impacted

Haiti - Elections : Situation of violence throughout the country
08/12/2010 09:25:04

<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=left><TBODY><TR><TD></TD><TD></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Haiti was plunged into a wave of protests and violence, following the announcement of preliminary election results, the spokesman for the Provisional Electoral Council before the 9 empty chairs provided for electoral advisers of the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP), which do not show up, despite three hours of waiting... without explanation.

Supporters of eliminated candidates have set, on Tuesday night, fires and erected barricades in the streets of the capital in protest. Early fires were reported in many small shops. Hundreds of protesters with their faces masked, ran through the streets, mostly blocked, requesting the annulment of the election. Stone-throwing incidents have disrupted traffic, windshields were smashed and vehicles burned . Protesters accused the government of having "run their candidate", other threatened to blockade the country.

At Petion Ville, tires were burning, replacing the street lights... Gunshots were heard in the suburb of the capital... Bystanders were attacked by stone-throwing... Shops were vandalized...

Read more:

http://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-1860-haiti-elections-situation-of-violence-throughout-the-country.html

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Re: Haiti - Flights Halted - violence prevents workers from reporting to work at airport - Humanitarians Impacted

Haiti: Ban appeals for end to violence after election results announced


Ballots from Haiti's presidential election on 28 November 2010 being sorted in Port-au-Prince

8 December 2010 ? Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today appealed for an end to violence in Haiti following the announcement of preliminary election results in a country that has already been ravaged this year by a devastating earthquake and a raging cholera epidemic.

?A peaceful solution to the current situation is crucial not only to confront the cholera epidemic in the short-term but also to create the conditions in the medium term for recovery and development from the earthquake,? a statement issued by his spokesman said.

The statement voiced concern at allegations of fraud and noted that the results of the 28 November presidential and legislative elections are not final. ?He urges all candidates to exhaust the formal remedies and legal procedures, which will allow a clearer picture to emerge,? it added. ?This would be a solid base on which to move forward.

?The Secretary-General expresses his concern over the acts of violence that have taken place in the aftermath of the announcement of the preliminary results. He reminds all candidates that they have a personal responsibility to encourage their supporters to remain calm and to stop violence.?

According to media reports, thousands of protesters rampaged through the streets of Port-au-Prince, the capital, setting fire to the headquarters of the ruling government coalition, which they accused of rigging the results, after

Tuesday?s announcement that former first lady Mirlande Manigat and outgoing President Rene Pr?val?s party candidate Jude Celestin qualified for the January presidential run-off by coming in first and second.

Popular musician Michel Martelly was close behind in third place, but thus excluded from the run-off and supporters set up burning barricades of timber, boulders and flaming tires.

Read more:
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.as...6&Cr=haiti&Cr1=

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Re: Haiti - Flights Halted - violence prevents workers from reporting to work at airport - Humanitarians Impacted

Haiti: UN calls on candidates in disputed poll to use legal means and avoid violence

Ballots being counted for the 28 November 2010 elections at a polling station in Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti

13 December 2010 ? With a three-day window opening today for candidates to formally lodge complaints in Haiti?s disputed elections, the United Nations and its partners have called on all concerned to use these legal means and to urge their supporters to avoid further violence.

A communiqu? issued in the name of the ?international community,? grouping the UN, the Organization of American States (OAS), the European Union (EU) and the ambassadors of Brazil, Canada, Germany, Spain and the United States, appealed ?for the use of all legal ways to advance a credible electoral process so as to guarantee that the definitive results fully reflect the will of the Haitian electors.?

Giving candidates until Wednesday to lodge their complaints, the Provisional Electoral Council has proposed setting up a special verification committee, and the communiqu? called on all candidates to participate in this process. It warned that the violence was impeding efforts to fight a cholera epidemic that has already killed well over 2,100 people, with some 50,000 others hospitalized in country that is still struggling to recover from a devastating earthquake in January, which killed over 200,000 people and displaced some 1.3 million others, most of them still living in crowded and unsanitary tent camps.

Read more:
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.as...9&Cr=haiti&Cr1=