Haitian banks to return to full working hours amid restoration of fuel supply
Nov 14, 2021
Port-au-Prince [Haiti], November 14 (ANI/Sputnik): The Professional Banks Association of Haiti (APB) announced that the country's banks will return to their regular working hours from November 15, following the restoration of the distribution of petroleum products, media reported on Sunday.
Earlier on November 8, APB announced a reduction in the opening hours of its branches amid fuel shortages faced by the country.
"In view of the restoration of a regular flow of petroleum product distribution, [APB] members decided to restore the usual working hours of their various service points, starting from Monday, November 15 2021," APB said in a press release as quoted by Gazette Haiti.
APB noted that its bank members will do everything in their power to support their customers at this difficult time, the newspaper reported.
Haiti has been facing a fuel shortage amid a blockade of oil terminals by armed gangs. On Saturday, the country's Ministry of Commerce announced that the distribution of fuel at service stations will continue after it reached a truce with the G9 gang.
The gang's leader, Jimmy Cherisier, nicknamed Barbecue, placed a blockade on the key Varreux oil terminal on October 17.
Haiti's fuel shortage has severely affected its health care, a large number of small- and medium-sized private companies and state institutions.
The country is experiencing a crime rate increase as the armed gangs that control large areas in Port-au-Prince and other regions gain more power. Gang violence has led to the involuntary resettlement of more than 19,000 people since June 2021, according to UNICEF figures. (ANI/Sputnik)
