In Haiti, several people were shot — at least one of them fatally — after police fired tear gas on thousands of protesters who took to the streets of the capital Port-au-Prince. 

Port-au-Prince, October 12 (RJC)-- In Haiti, several people were shot — at least one of them fatally — after police fired tear gas on thousands of protesters who took to the streets of the capital Port-au-Prince. Protesters demanded the resignation of the U.S.-backed Prime Minister Ariel Henry and called on the government to reverse its decision to seek foreign military assistance.  

One organizer of the protests, Jean Levelt, told reporters: “Unemployment, the high cost of living, insecurity — it is all for these reasons that I am in the street.  I take to the streets to say no to the occupation.”

The United Nations is urging the activation of a “rapid action force” to Haiti to combat armed gangs that have blockaded the main terminal in Port-au-Prince, blocking imports of food, fuel and other necessities.  This comes amid warnings of a looming public health disaster after a new outbreak of cholera emerged this month. 

In 2010, U.N. peacekeepers inadvertently sparked a cholera outbreak that killed 10,000 people, and United Nations "peace-keeping" forces in Haiti have been accused of sexual violence.