Viv Ansanm organized musical festivities on Sunday, January 19 and 12, 2025. According to testimonies gathered by the by AlterPresse, the festival was held in Carrefour, south of Port au Prince. in the middle of the pre-carnival period.
Witnesses report that in preparation for the 2025 pre-carnival festivities, cleaning operations were carried out on Sunday, January 19, 2025, on the main road of Carrefour, by armed individuals, equipped with wheelbarrows and shovels.
Some time later, teams from the interim executive council, acting as the Carrefour municipal council, came to collect the piled-up rubbish, they added.
Framed by heavily armed men dressed in black, a musical float, accompanied by dozens of party-goers, paraded on the same day in Carrefour.
No measures have been taken by the authorities to prevent the festival and put an end to Viv Ansanm's control of Carrefour, who continue to extend their influence to other territories, such as Gressier.
In the meantime, they continue to extort money from drivers at toll booths in Carrefour, as well as from vendors in public markets, and from owners of warehouses, and shops.
Despite the presence of Viv Ansanm, commercial banks, an annex of the General Directorate of Taxes (DGI), supermarkets, public markets, schools and courts continue to operate in Carrefour.
The police station called Omega continues to keep its main gate half open every day.
Translated and edited for clarity by CHIP editors
Posted Feb. 17, 2025