By the Associated Press
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Six people were killed and at least five others were wounded Sunday during demonstrations across Haiti protesting allegations of embezzlement from a Venezuelan program that provided the country with subsidized oil, police said.
Men burn block a road with burning tires during an opposition protest demanding to know how Petro Caribe funds have been used by the current and past administrations, on the sidelines of events marking the 215th anniversary of independence Battle of Vertieres in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Sunday, Nov. 18, 2018. Much of the financial support to help Haiti rebuild after the 2010 earthquake comes from Venezuela's Petro Caribe fund, a 2005 pact that gives suppliers below-market financing for oil and is under the control of the central government. (AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery/ MANILA BULLETIN)
President Jovenel Moise called for dialogue with opposition groups that are seeking his resignation for failing to investigate corruption.
Thousands of Haitians marched Sunday to the National Palace in the capital, calling for a probe into the spending of $3.8 billion Haiti received as part of the regional Petrocaribe program.
Clashes with police erupted after protesters blocked streets and set fire to tires.
A Haitian Senate investigation has alleged embezzlement by at least 14 former officials in former President Michel Martelly's administration, but no one has been charged. There were reports of clashes in smaller protests across the country.
Four people were wounded in clashes in San Marcos, northeast of the capital, and dozens were arrested, police said.
Police said they deployed more than 3,000 officers in the capital, the city of Cap-Haitien and smaller cities and towns.
Starting in 2005, Venezuela offered discounted crude with extremely lenient repayment terms to countries around Central American and the Caribbean.