Reacting to the incident of the commandos of heavily armed foreigners arrested in Port-au-Prince on February 17 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26963-haiti-flash-a-mysterious-commando-of-heavily-armed-foreigners-arrested-in-port-au-prince.html , Senator Jean Renel Sénatus, President of the Commission "Justice and Security" expressed his concerns about the circulation of illegal weapons in the country recalling "We know those who own illegal weapons in this country. Now, we find 7 whites with some and we cry scandal as if we were the only ones who could possess illegal weapons [...]"

Without wanting to minimize the presence of these armed foreigners on Haitian territory, Sénatus stresses that these illegal weapons are not only in the hands of the bandits, but also in the hands of citizens fearing for their lives and even worse in Parliament one find hundreds in the hands of Ministers, Secretaries of State, Deputies and Senators among others, to ensure their safety or who are protected by citizens with heavy weapons prohibited...

According to the latest official estimates of the National Police of Haiti (PNH) there were at least 250,000 illegal firearms in circulation in the country (in 2015), including handguns and large caliber weapons. https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-18667-haiti-security-on-over-250-000-illegal-weapons-in-haiti-only-15-are-legalized.html

Sénatus also regrets that his colleagues have still not voted his bill tabled in 2016 on the legalization of weapons in circulation to better control them.

See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27020-haiti-flash-pm-demands-explanations-from-minister-aly-on-the-transfer-to-usa-of-7-foreigners.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26963-haiti-flash-a-mysterious-commando-of-heavily-armed-foreigners-arrested-in-port-au-prince.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-18667-haiti-security-on-over-250-000-illegal-weapons-in-haiti-only-15-are-legalized.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-12991-haiti-security-more-than-250-000-illegal-weapons-in-circulation-in-the-country.html

TB/ HaitiLibre