The situation remains tense in the West Indies in the context of violence and roadblocks resulting from the opposition to compulsory vaccination for caregivers and firefighters.
A gendarme was injured this Thursday in Saint-Martin, as part of the violence and roadblocks that have blocked Guadeloupe and Martinique for two weeks.
This Thursday, clashes opposed the gendarmerie to a group of people in Saint-Martin, a small island that depends on Guadeloupe, while the police were trying to evacuate a car wreck on the road.
At the end of the morning, at the entrance to Nettle Bay (west of the island), "we suffered three bursts of fire in our direction," said the gendarmerie.
A member of the security forces received a bullet, which crossed his left leg and lodged in the right.
"His days are not in danger," said the gendarmerie.
Bullets of different calibers were found, "it would rather be large caliber, handguns," said Lieutenant-Colonel Wintzer.
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Prefect Serge Gouteyron announced the establishment as of Thursday evening, and at least for 24 hours, of a curfew at Sandy Ground, from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., as well as the arrival of "human reinforcements, and special units, ”he said at a press conference.
"Some are taking advantage of the situation to commit armed robberies," he added.
Extended curfew in Guadeloupe
In Guadeloupe, "taking into account the continuing disturbances of public order in certain communes, notably with the arrest of armed individuals", the prefect Alexandre Rochatte decided "to extend the curfew" between 6 p.m. and 5 a.m. "Until December 7, at 5 am", in 21 towns, including Pointe-à-Pitre, explains a press release.
"This night was marked by several attempts to reinstall obstacles on the roads", such as "the fire of a stolen school transport bus (...) in order to cut the RN1", according to the prefecture, which specifies that "ten new arrests took place during the night".
To ensure the safety of people & goods, the #Guadeloupe prefect, decided the extension of the 18h #couvrefeu at 5 to 7 December at 5am on some common
📍La sale of gasoline in jerry is also prohibited
Violators exposes itself to legal proceedings.
pic.twitter.com/Fp8eZOVIKh
- Prefect of Guadeloupe (@ Prefet971) December 2, 2021
To try to get out of the crisis, the elected officials met for four hours with the "collective of organizations in struggle", but the meeting above all resulted in asking once again "the arrival of an interministerial mission to obtain firm commitments. on points falling within the competence of the State or requiring its reinforced involvement ”.
"Contrary to what Lecornu (the Minister of Overseas Territories, Editor's note) said, almost all of the points" of the platform of demand "fall under the intervention of the State, at the highest level", explained to the press, Elie Domota, spokesperson for the LKP (the collective of unions).
Negotiations with Sébastien Lecornu, who arrived in Guadeloupe for an express visit on November 29, had come to an end because of the refusal of the unions to condemn the “attempted assassinations against police and gendarmes”.
Dams raised in Martinique
In Martinique too, the curfew has been extended, until December 4 at 5 a.m.
In this island, the gendarmerie launched, this Thursday, a major operation to dismantle all the blockades of roundabouts.
Traffic seemed to be completely restored during the day, according to an AFP journalist, with the exception of two blockages: one at the port - where many foodstuffs remain stored, causing shortages in several supermarkets on the island - , the other in front of the refinery.
VIDEO.
West Indies: Sébastien Lecornu open to the discussion on the application of the vaccination obligation
The intervention of the police, however, allowed the rotations of about thirty trucks, for about 80 filling of service stations, which created many queues around the gasoline pumps.
During an intervention at the Choco-Choisy roundabout in Saint-Joseph, which required a helicopter and three bulldozers to remove a dozen charred vehicles, “we had smiles, bravos, thumbs up. , it is heartwarming, ”a source of the gendarmerie told AFP.
During his visit to Martinique at the beginning of the week, the Minister of Overseas Territories, Sébastien Lecornu, promised to open discussions on "the adaptation of the modalities of application of the law on the vaccination obligation", already postponed from November 15 to December 31.