Haiti is once again in a state of turmoil after the presidential election results were announced on Wednesday . Angry mobs, alleging election fraud, flooded the streets, their violent rioting shutting down not only schools and businesses, but the Port-au-Prince airport as well.
After January’s devastating earthquake, which killed over 250,000 people and left at least a million homeless, Haiti has been in a deepening state of despair. This fragile economy has only been worsened by a recent cholera epidemic, which according to international health officials, will affect over 200,000 Haitians in the upcoming months.
After experiencing so much loss, frustration and pain this past year, it is easy to understand why this political standoff has caused so much pent-up anger in the Haitian community. We can only hope that the nation can find a way to overcome their differences, for it seems that, now more than ever, this country needs to pull together and face its problems as a unified force, rather than being divided over the deceptions of politics.
photo by Alison Wright