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A12   WORLD NEWS
                  Tuesday 15 OcTOber 2019
            Haiti's embattled president faces 5th week of protests




            PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP)                                                                                          resignation,  adding  that
            —  Haiti's  embattled  presi-                                                                                       he  was  encouraged  by
            dent  faced  a  fifth  week                                                                                         Sunday's   demonstration,
            of  protests  on  Monday  as                                                                                        noting it included the bour-
            road blocks went up across                                                                                          geoisie.
            the  country  after  opposi-                                                                                        "That  gave  us  even  more
            tion  leaders  said  they  will                                                                                     confidence,"    he    said.
            not back down on their call                                                                                         "There's  a  lot  of  misery  in
            for Jovenel Moïse to resign.                                                                                        Haiti ... the people are fed
            While  Port-au-Prince  re-                                                                                          up with this situation."
            mained largely quiet, small                                                                                         The  demonstrations  have
            demonstrations in other cit-                                                                                        shuttered  businesses,  pre-
            ies and towns come a day                                                                                            vented  2  million  children
            after  tens  of  thousands  of                                                                                      from  going  to  school  and
            Haitians  marched  through                                                                                          led to the deaths of some
            Haiti's capital in a peaceful                                                                                       20 people and roughly 200
            protest  organized  by  art-                                                                                        injuries.
            ists. Business groups, church                                                                                       Former Prime Minister Evans
            leaders  and  human  rights                                                                                         Paul, a Moïse ally, told The
            organizations  also  have                                                                                           Associated  Press  on  Mon-
            joined  the  call  for  Moïse                                                                                       day  that  the  government
            to  step  down  amid  anger                                                                                         expects  to  meet  with  civil
            over  corruption,  inflation                                                                                        society leaders and the op-
            and scarcity of basic goods                                                                                         position, which has publicly
            including fuel.              Protesters climb up on motorcycles and a highway barrier to try to get a look at thousands of   rejected Moïse's call for uni-
            Among       those      who   demonstrators coming to join the march, in Petion-Ville, Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Sunday, Oct. 13,   ty and dialogue.
            marched  was  business-      2019.                                                                                  "We can put everything on
            man Anthony Bennett, who                                                                           Associated Press  the  table,"  Paul  said,  add-
            sought to run for president                                                                                         ing  that  that  includes  the
            in 2015 and said the private  this  anymore,"  he  told  re-  Police  fired  tear  gas  at  Patrickson  Monteau,  who  president's  mandate.  "The
            sector also was suffering.   porters.  "Everybody  is  just  a  small  group  of  people  is  leading  protests  in  the  country has to keep living.
            "I  think  it's  time  that  ev-  hoping to get a visa to run  gathered near a couple of  area.                     We're  clear  that  the  presi-
            eryone  understands  that  away.  ...The  Haitian  popu-  burning  tires  in  downtown  He  said  he  won't  accept  dent  has  lost  the  public's
            things cannot continue like  lation has had enough."      Port-au-Prince,   including  anything  except  Moïse's  support."q

            13 police killed by suspected cartel gunmen in west Mexico



            By MARIA VERZA                                                                                                      Michoacan,  an  important
            Associated Press                                                                                                    avocado-growing      state,
            MEXICO  CITY  (AP)  —  At                                                                                           has  recently  has  seen  a
            least  13  police  officers                                                                                         jump  in  violence  that  has
            were  killed  and  three  oth-                                                                                      brought back memories of
            ers wounded Monday in an                                                                                            the bloodiest days of Mex-
            ambush by gunmen in the                                                                                             ico's  war  on  drug  cartels
            Mexican state of Michoac-                                                                                           between 2006 and 2012.
            an, a western region where                                                                                          In  August,  police  found  19
            violence attributed to drug                                                                                         bodies in the town of Urua-
            cartels has spiked in recent                                                                                        pan,  including  nine  hung
            months.                                                                                                             from  a  bridge.  Later,  an
            The  state  police  officers                                                                                        area  roughly  45  miles  (70
            had gone to a home in the                                                                                           kilometers)  north  of  Aguili-
            town  of  El  Aguaje  in  Agui-                                                                                     lla was the scene of fierce
            lilla municipality to enforce                                                                                       clashes between members
            a judicial order when "sev-                                                                                         of Jalisco New Generation
            eral armed civilians fired on                                                                                       and  regional  self-defense
            them,"  Michoacan's  state                                                                                          groups.
            security department said in                                                                                         In  2013,  civilian  groups
            a statement.                                                                                                        faced with what they said
            "No  attack  on  the  police                                                                                        was  state  inaction  armed
            will go unpunished, and this   Charred  trucks  that  belong  to  Michoacan  state  police  stand  on  the  roadside  after  they  were   themselves  in  Michoacan
            was  a  cowardly,  devious   burned during an attack in El Aguaje, Mexico, Monday, Oct. 14, 2019.                   to  fight  the  Knights  Tem-
            attack  because  they  laid                                                                        Associated Press  plar  cartel,  one  of  whose
            an  ambush  in  this  area  of                                                                                      bases  was  Aguililla.  They
            the road," Gov. Silvano Au-  tion,  one  of  Mexico's  most  the  entrance  to  El  Aguaje  violent events.         said  they  took  up  arms  to
            reoles said.                 powerful  and  rising  cartels  surrounded by hundreds of  After the attack, the area in  defend  themselves  from
            Images  published  in  Mexi-  at  the  moment.  Aureoles  bullet  casings.  Two  police  western  Mexico's  so-called  kidnappings, extortion and
            can  media  showed  vehi-    said  their  authenticity  was  trucks were towed away.   "hot  lands"  was  reinforced  killings by cartels. But some
            cles  burning  in  the  middle  under investigation.      The streets were nearly de-  by  federal  and  state  se-  of  the  self-defense  or  vigi-
            of  a  highway  and  mes-    In  the  afternoon,  an  Asso-  void  of  human  activity  as  curity  forces,  who  set  up  lante groups later became
            sages  apparently  signed  ciated  Press  journalist  saw  people  apparently  decid-  checkpoints to find the as-  infiltrated  by  cartels  and
            by  Jalisco  New  Genera-    two  gutted  patrol  cars  at  ed to stay indoors after the  sailants.                 gangs.q
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