Gunmen Disrupt Haiti Swearing-In
About 100 gunmen disrupted the investiture ceremony for Haiti’s foreign minister Friday, threatening Prime Minister Robert Malval and his ministers, witnesses said.
The leaders took cover in an anteroom at the Foreign Ministry. The gunmen allowed them to leave after 90 minutes.
There were no reports of injuries, but witnesses said several police officers and army soldiers did nothing to hinder the gunmen.
As Malval was swearing in newly appointed Foreign Minister Claudette Werligh, the gunmen swarmed into the building and drowned out the ceremony with screaming and clapping.
They shouted insults against ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who is scheduled to return to Haiti next month.
Many ministers have received death threats and most observers believe the terror campaign was instigated by Port-au-Prince police chief Col. Michel-Joseph Francois.
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