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Haiti unrest - Displaced people return to Port-au-Prince homes after gangs withdraw from several districts

Haiti unrest - Displaced people return to Port-au-Prince homes after gangs withdraw from several districts

"Hundreds of Haitians started coming back to their homes in several neighbourhoods of Port-au-Prince on Thursday, after Jimmy Cherizier, alias ‘Barbecue’, one of the country's most powerful gang leaders, announced the withdrawal of his men from various areas under his control. “It's a joint initiative: we, in whom the population has confidence, along with the local leaders, reached an agreement so that the suffering people can return to their homes. Those men [the gangs] you mentioned will return to their territory; the population will continue to live in theirs,” said Bernard, a local leader. Areas where thousands of local residents were forced to flee after house fires and looting had been happening in recent months were seen in an apparent calm, with excavators and personnel clearing the barricades in the streets. “Where we are now, there is no life. We sleep in crowded quarters, with arguments and noise at all hours; in this neighborhood, that kind of thing didn't exist, we all slept peacefully,” said Dolce, a local resident. Many of those who were able to return found their homes damaged or destroyed after months of armed clashes. The decision by Cherizier, a former police officer turned into the leader of an armed group known as ‘G9 an fanmi e alye’, comes amid pressure from international organisations calling for the restoration of security in Haiti. “Despite everything, they are our brothers and immediate neighbours. If they send us this clear signal saying they want peace, why not accept it? Despite the doubts of some, we believe their word; they send the signal, we respond positively,” added Bernard. Haiti has been without a president since the assassination of Jovenel Moise in July 2021, leaving a power vacuum that has allowed armed gangs to expand their influence unchecked. In the absence of a functioning central government and with weakened state institutions, the armed groups have grown in strength, seizing territory and increasingly operating as the de facto authorities across the country, particularly in the capital. According to UN statistics, at least 5,600 people were killed in gang-related incidents in 2024 alone."

We agreed to 'consider establishment of diplomatic ties with Armenia' - Pakistan's FM

We agreed to 'consider establishment of diplomatic ties with Armenia' - Pakistan's FM

"Pakistan's Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar announced on Friday that his country had agreed to consider establishing formal diplomatic relations with Armenia. "We agreed to consider the establishment of diplomatic relations between Armenia and Pakistan. The message is very clear" Dar said during a press conference. "Let's be very clear. Azerbaijan and Armenia. We have been on the side of Azerbaijan for a long time. Karabakh. The Karabakh issue has been settled. Peace agreement has been reached between Armenia and Azerbaijan," he continued. Pakistan does not currently have any diplomatic relations with Armenia, due to its longstanding support for Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Azerbaijan took control of that region in September 2023. On August 8, Baku and Yerevan signed a deal in Washington, brokered by the US. It included an agreement for both the establishment of diplomatic relations and the creation of a transit corridor, developed by the United States, and named the 'Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity'."