PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Caribbean nation Haiti unveiled strict budget-cutting measures Tuesday in response to rising global oil costs and supply disruptions caused by ongoing conflict in Iran.
The cash-strapped government has prohibited purchasing any new vehicles, mandated reductions in fuel spending across public agencies, and restricted international travel to only essential trips that must receive approval from the prime minister.
Additionally, security details will be reduced to just one vehicle per convoy in a nation where criminal organizations have seized control of roughly 90% of Port-au-Prince, the capital, along with large portions of the countryside.
Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé authorized the new policies in an official statement, explaining they would help the administration “to anticipate serious repercussions on the already fragile macroeconomic balance and public finances in particular.”
“The government has no choice but to further reduce state spending,” the statement said.
Economic hardship throughout Haiti has worsened as criminal gangs have expanded their territorial control following the July 2021 killing of President Jovenel Moïse.
Nations worldwide have implemented various responses to the ongoing conflict, with some adopting four-day work schedules to conserve resources.
