Government Plans to Raise Fuel Prices Spark Turmoil in Haiti

The Haitian government’s plan to raise fuel prices has sparked chaos in the Caribbean country, with a powerful gang leader blocking a port and calling for the prime minister’s overthrow, and food warehouses looted, businesses and beach houses torched and embassies closed.

The government said last week that it would end $400 million in subsidies for gasoline, diesel and kerosene, doubling the price to consumers. Thousands of Haitians took to the streets in protest, erecting road barricades of rocks, furniture, wood, burning tires and old refrigerators.