Only 80 kilometers separate it from the violent capital of Haiti, but in the city of Jacmel tranquility reigns, and this has made it the destination of hundreds of people fleeing the terror imposed by armed gangs in Port-au-Prince, whose actions caused more than 5,600 violent deaths last year in this impoverished Caribbean country.
Joane, 45, lived and grew up in Delmas 24, in the Solino neighborhood, not far from the center of Port-au-Prince, but in April 2024 she was forced to move to Jacmel, where she claims to have found tranquility.
“Everyone fled the neighborhood. We run away at night without being able to take anything,” the woman told EFE, who tries to remake her life in Jacmel, doing what she likes most: selling handicrafts.
Since then, everything has changed for her. He has regained the tranquility he lost so long ago. “In terms of security, it’s totally different from Port-au-Prince. There are no problems with armed gangs,” he added.
The exodus to Jacmel, known for its paradisiacal beaches, dates back to 2018, when people began to leave the Haitian capital en masse. In the streets, in markets or on public transport, the people interviewed by EFE repeat the same phrase: “We left Port-au-Prince because of insecurity.
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The capital “is hell, even if they pay me to live there, I don’t go,” said a plumber while doing some work in a house in this city, decorated these days on the occasion of the visit last Wednesday of the president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro.
The metropolitan area of Port-au-au-Prince, where at least a third of the Haitian population lives, is experiencing an upsurge in insecurity marked by the increase in massacres and armed attacks, gang rapes, robberies, murders and kidnappings to ask for ransom.
Thousands of people are forced to take refuge in unclean camps, leave the capital or simply flee the country, seeking refuge elsewhere.
At least 85% of the metropolitan area is in the hands of armed gangs, which multiply the number of tolls, the price of public transport and even basic necessities, throwing at least 1 in 2 Haitians into food insecurity.
Port-au-Prince is becoming an open-air prison, where the free movement of people and goods has ceased to exist. The entire city center, the economic heart of the country, has been destroyed to such an extent that it seems to have been shaken by a great earthquake.
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In Jacmel, however, the reality is very different. People can move freely in the streets and neighborhoods.
With more than 180,000 inhabitants, Jacmel impresses with its beaches and waterfalls, its places and historical sites, its unique urbanism and architectural heritage, and its welcoming and proud people of its city, the first to be electrified in the Caribbean region in 1895, and the place where the flag of Gran Colombia was created in the 19th century.
It is a highly cultural, historical and tourist destination. Its annual carnival stands out for its multiple colors, its masks and its festive atmosphere.
Activities that had completely disappeared in the Port-au-Prince region are rediscovered in Jacmel. For example, students doing their homework in public and illuminated places.
“As soon as everything returns to normal, I will return to Port-au-Prince,” Joane said.
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In recent years, the attempts of the gang members to settle in Jacmel have failed. Some have been murdered and others arrested in this small town where everyone knows each other and where the inhabitants only find out what happens in the capital through the news.
Paraguay summons Brazilian ambassador over Itaipú espionage scandal
Paraguay summoned the Brazilian ambassador in Asunción on Tuesday to demand “explanations” and called its own representative in Brasília for consultations following Brazil’s acknowledgment of an espionage operation. The Brazilian government, led by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, attributed the operation to the previous administration.
The surveillance effort aimed to uncover Paraguay’s position in now-suspended negotiations with Brazil regarding the pricing of electricity from the binational Itaipú hydroelectric plant, according to reports in the Brazilian press.
The Brazilian government “categorically denied any involvement in the intelligence operation,” stating in a Foreign Ministry communiqué on Monday that the espionage was carried out under former President Jair Bolsonaro’s administration (2019-2023).
“The operation was authorized by the previous government in June 2022 and was annulled by the interim director of the (state intelligence agency) ABIN on March 27, 2023, as soon as the current administration became aware of it,” Brazil’s government asserted.
Paraguay’s Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez announced that Brazilian Ambassador José Antonio Marcondes de Carvalho was summoned “to provide detailed explanations” regarding the operation. Additionally, Paraguay recalled its diplomatic representative in Brasília “to report on aspects related to the intelligence activity conducted by Brazil regarding Paraguay’s government affairs.”
Elon Musk to step down as government advisor, per Trump insiders
President Donald Trump has informed his inner circle that Elon Musk will be stepping down from his role as a government advisor, according to a report by Politico today.
Citing three individuals close to Trump, Politico states that the president is pleased with Musk’s leadership at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), where he has implemented significant budget cuts. However, both have agreed that it is time for Musk to return to his businesses and support Trump from a different position outside the government.
A senior administration official told Politico that Musk will likely maintain an informal advisory role and continue to be an occasional visitor to the White House. Another source warned that anyone thinking Musk will completely disappear from Trump’s circle is “deluding themselves.”
According to the sources, this transition is expected to coincide with the end of Musk’s tenure as a “special government employee,” a temporary status that exempts him from certain ethics and conflict-of-interest regulations. This 130-day period is set to expire in late May or early June.
Milei vows to make Argentina so strong that Falkland Islanders “choose” to join
Argentine President Javier Milei reaffirmed his country’s claim over the Falkland Islands (known as the Islas Malvinas in Argentina) and praised the role of the nation’s armed forces during a ceremony marking the “Veterans and Fallen Soldiers of the Malvinas War Day,” commemorating 43 years since the 1982 conflict with the United Kingdom.
Argentina continues to assert sovereignty over the islands, arguing that Britain unlawfully seized them in 1833.
“If sovereignty over the Malvinas is the issue, we have always made it clear that the most important vote is the one cast with one’s feet. We hope that one day, the Malvinas residents will choose to vote with their feet and join us,” Milei stated.
“That is why we aim to become a global power—so much so that they would prefer to be Argentine, making deterrence or persuasion unnecessary. This is why we have embarked on a path of liberation, working to make Argentina the freest country in the world and once again the nation with the highest GDP per capita on the planet,” he added.
