The National Library of Haiti is the latest institution in the country that has been attacked and looted by armed gangs trying to take control of Port-au-Prince through fear in the streets.
"We have documents that are more than 200 years old, of heritage importance, that have run the risk of being burned or damaged by bandits; others have not had the same luck," the library's director, Dangelo Néard, told AFP after a A large group of people broke into the building that houses the National Library in Port-au-Prince this Wednesday, in a new illustration of the spiral of violence in this Caribbean country. The national police stormed the institution shortly after the assault, but there is no record of arrests, according to some agencies.
In recent weeks, there have been several assaults on buildings and cultural and educational institutions. In this sense, UNESCO expressed this Wednesday its "strong" condemnation of the acts of vandalism recorded at the National School of Arts (Enarts) and the fire of the Higher Normal School (ENS) and other institutions in Haiti, in the context of the violence that armed gangs exert on the population.
Gang violence has also affected the Faculties of Sciences (FDS), Agronomy and Veterinary Medicine of the State University of Haiti (UEH) and several public and private educational institutions, as well as three health centers were also assaulted and looted by bandits. armed men who took hostages and attacked teachers and students. Last Monday, state security forces thwarted the assault on the National Palace.
These acts of vandalism, looting and arson against the country's educational institutions have devastating consequences for the future of Haitian society, particularly for present and future generations, which is why they must stop and cannot be tolerated in any way, said UNESCO. it's a statement.
Haiti has been suffering an upsurge in armed gang action since last February, with frequent shootouts between the Haitian National Police and members of the gangs.
An unprecedented wave of violence has been unleashed in the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince, marked by attacks against civilian infrastructure, schools, universities and public buildings.
