Détails

Catégorie : En Bref

Création : 16 avril 2026

@Equilibrepresse

Le Premier ministre haïtien, Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, ainsi que l’ensemble du gouvernement, ont exprimé leur profonde consternation à la suite du drame survenu le samedi 12 avril 2026 à la Citadelle Laferrière, lors d’une activité touristique ayant rassemblé plusieurs milliers de jeunes. Selon des informations concordantes, près d’une cinquantaine de personnes auraient perdu la vie dans cette tragédie, survenue dans le cadre d’une célébration de l’anniversaire du monument historique. Près de 3 000 participants avaient gravi les pentes de la Citadelle pour l’événement, qui a rapidement viré au drame en raison d’un mouvement de foule dans un espace saturé. Plusieurs victimes auraient succombé à des cas d’asphyxie, piégées dans une cohue incontrôlable, dans un contexte marqué par l’absence de structures de premiers secours adaptées à une telle affluence. Dans un communiqué officiel, les autorités nationales ont fait part de leur vive émotion face à cette tragédie, tout en adressant leurs sincères condoléances aux familles des victimes. Le gouvernement a également exprimé sa solidarité envers les proches des personnes touchées, promettant une mobilisation rapide pour porter assistance aux victimes. Les institutions compétentes ont été placées en état d’alerte maximale afin de fournir soins médicaux et accompagnement aux personnes affectées. Parallèlement, le Collectif Défenseurs Plus a lancé un appel à une urgence humanitaire en faveur de la commune de Milot. L’organisation plaide pour le déploiement d’équipes médicales spécialisées, l’évacuation rapide des blessés graves et la mise en place d’un soutien psychosocial pour les victimes et leurs familles. Elle exige également l’ouverture de poursuites administratives et judiciaires contre toute personne impliquée dans une éventuelle négligence ou mauvaise gestion de la situation. Le gouvernement indique suivre l’évolution de la situation avec la plus grande attention, alors que des enquêtes sont en cours pour faire la lumière sur les circonstances exactes du drame. En attendant, les autorités appellent la population au calme et à la prudence, dans un contexte de vive émotion nationale. En cette période particulièrement éprouvante, le Premier ministre et son gouvernement disent réaffirmer leur engagement à soutenir les victimes et l’ensemble de la communauté affectée, tout en promettant que toute la vérité sera établie sur cette tragédie. La rédaction

Détails

Catégorie : En Bref

Création : 16 avril 2026

Government plans to cover funeral costs as grief spreads across northern Haiti after dozens killed
by The Haitian Times Apr. 13, 2026
Overview:
Haiti’s government declared three days of national mourning and will cover funeral costs for victims after 25 people died in a crowd surge at Citadelle Laferrière, a premier historic site in northern Haiti, as the nation grapples with grief and questions over safety.
Haiti’s government has declared three days of national mourning and says it will cover the funeral costs for the victims after a deadly crowd surge at the Citadelle Laferrière in Cap-Haitien, northern Haiti, left 25 people dead.
The Sunday evening announcement came after an emergency cabinet meeting led by Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, as the country continues to absorb the scale of the tragedy that unfolded April 11 in Milot. Officials said the nation will observe a period of mourning from April 14 to April 16, with flags flown at half-staff across the country. Officials described the move as a gesture of solidarity with grieving families.
Authorities also confirmed the state will take charge of funeral expenses for the victims, many of them young people who had gathered at the historic fortress for a widely promoted social media event.
The deadly incident happened during a large youth gathering called ‘Citadel Vibe 3.0’ launched and promoted by several social media influencers, which drew thousands of people to the mountaintop fortress in Milot. Authorities say the number of attendees far exceeded the site’s capacity.
Scenes from the aftermath captured the depth of the loss.
In Milot, residents wept as men carried bodies wrapped in white sheets through the streets a day after the tragedy, reflecting the grief spreading across communities in the north.
The government said it has deployed officials, including the Minister of the Interior, to the region to support victims and families, while emergency teams continue responding on the ground.
As the outcry grows over crowd control and safety failures at large public gatherings, officials also pledged to continue the ongoing investigation and said those responsible will face justice.

Détails

Catégorie : En Bref

Création : 16 avril 2026

FORT MYERS, Fla. — A 40-year-old Haitian immigrant has been arrested and charged in the fatal hammer attack of a woman at a Fort Myers gas station, authorities said.
Rolbert Joachim faces charges of second-degree murder and criminal damage to property in the killing of Nilufa Easmin, a gas station clerk and mother of two teenage daughters, who died from her injuries after the assault.
The attack occurred Friday, April 3, in broad daylight at a Chevron station on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard near Highland Avenue. Investigators say surveillance video captured Joachim smashing the windshield of a vehicle believed to belong to Easmin before confronting her outside the store and striking her multiple times in the head with a hammer.
Friends and community members described Easmin, originally from Bangladesh, as a hardworking woman devoted to her family. Reports indicate she had been praying shortly before hearing a disturbance outside and going out to investigate.
According to accounts attributed to the gas station’s owner, Joachim had entered the station the previous day and attempted to withdraw money from an ATM. After the transaction failed, he allegedly demanded cash from Easmin, who told him the store did not own the machine and could not provide him money. Authorities have not publicly identified a formal motive, but those accounts suggest the earlier dispute may have preceded the attack.
After the assault, the Fort Myers Police Department requested assistance from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in locating Joachim. He was later found on Mango Street and taken into custody, where he has since been held without bond.

Détails

Catégorie : En Bref

Création : 16 avril 2026

Removal from federal database confirms Haitian businessman is no longer in U.S. immigration detention
by The Haitian Times Apr. 07, 2026
Overview:
Reginald Boulos has been released from ICE custody, as confirmed by his removal from the agency’s detainee locator. Authorities have not provided details on the terms of his release.
Haitian businessman Pierre Reginald Boulos has been released from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, according to federal detainee records.
As of Tuesday, Boulos no longer appears in ICE’s online detainee locator — a database that tracks individuals held in immigration detention. Removal from the system typically indicates that a detainee has been released, deported or transferred out of ICE custody. In Boulos’ case, the absence of his record signals he is no longer detained.
Tele Image and Haiti Gazette reported that Boulos was released on Tuesday. Haiti Gazette cited confirmation from a family member of Boulos. Haiti Gazette also reported that a photo circulating of Boulos with his daughter is authentic.
Local media reports also suggest Boulos may have traveled to Colombia following his release, though The Haitian Times has not independently confirmed his location.
The development comes days after a federal court ordered Boulos to be deported to Colombia.
Court documents show U.S authorities were instructed to transport him to a South Florida airport for removal on a commercial flight. The Department of Homeland Security “will facilitate [Boulos’s] removal to Colombia” by transporting him to a South Florida airport where he will “board a commercial flight to Colombia,” Judge Beth Bloom ordered.
The judge also closed the case for “administrative purposes only” and canceled all scheduled hearings.
Boulos, a prominent and polarizing figure in Haiti’s private sector and political landscape, was accused by U.S. officials of supporting gangs and contributing to instability in Haiti — allegations he denied. U.S. officials sought his deportation under a rarely used immigration provision tied to foreign policy concerns.
U.S. immigration authorities have not publicly commented on the circumstances of his release.
This is a developing story.