Protests drive out Haitian prime minister

Haitian Prime Minister Jack Guy Lafontant resigned over the weekend after a botched plan to raise fuel prices triggered violent protests. Haitian President Jovenel Moise on Twitter confirmed he accepted Lafontant’s resignation and those of other Cabinet officials Saturday. Violence erupted in Haiti July 6-8 following the government’s plan to hike fuel prices by up to 51 percent. The prime minister said the hikes were necessary for Haiti to balance its budget. The unrest killed at least seven people and left several U.S. missionary teams temporarily trapped in the country. Lafontant suspended the proposal, but the protests morphed into calls for him to step down. Moise in a Saturday broadcast said he would soon appoint a new prime minister and “form an inclusive government whose mission will be to alleviate the misery of the Haitian people.”