By Harold Isaac and Brian Ellsworth
PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) -Haitian protestors blocked roads in the downtown area of the capital of Port-au-Prince on Wednesday, where shots were heard as anger mounted over fuel shortages that have intensified as a result of gang violence.
Gas stations across the country are mostly closed, with a major fuel terminal having been forced to halt operations due to a turf war between rival gangs in a town outside the capital that has killed at least 50 people.
Groups of motorcycle drivers on Wednesday morning blocked intersections in Port-au-Prince, some of whom were setting tires on fire, witnesses told Reuters.
A brief volley of gunfire rang out, though it was not immediately evident who was firing or why.
“The violence appears to be the result of a confrontation between the G9 and the GPEP gangs,” said a spokesman for the office of Prime Minister Ariel Henry.
The clashes in the town of Cite Soleil have since Friday left thousands of people trapped without food and water, a local pastor and Doctors Without Borders said on Tuesday.
That forced the closure of the nearby Varreux fuel terminal, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Two ships carrying imported fuel have been unable to unload their cargoes, and fuel trucks that distribute to filling stations are not approaching the terminal due to security concerns, said the source, who asked not to be identified.
(Reporting by Harold Isaac and Brian Ellsworth, Editing by Bill Berkrot and John Stonestreet)
