Port-au-Prince, Haiti: Prime Minister Ariel Henry announced last month that he would end fuel subsidies. As a result, fuel prices have doubled, putting Haiti's daily life in crisis.

Gunshots rang out as protesters blocked roads with iron gates and mango trees. Then Haiti's most powerful gang took a drastic step: It dug trenches to block access to the Caribbean country's largest fuel terminal, vowing not to budge until Henry resigns and prices for fuel and basic goods go down.

The world's poorest country is in the grip of hyperinflation that is squeezing its citizenry, bringing society to a standstill and fueling protests. Parents fear sending their children to school as violence escalates; Fuel and fresh water are scarce; Hospitals, banks and grocery stores are struggling to stay open.

The president of the neighbouring Dominican Republic described the situation as a "low-intensity civil war."

Haiti has been going through a period of political instability since the assassination of the country's president last year.

Inflation soared to nearly 30% in Haiti, which is still suffering from poverty, which only made the situation worse.

"If they don't understand us, we're going to understand them," said one attendee with thousands of other protesters during a recent demonstration.

The fuel depot blocked by gangs has been inoperable since Sept. 12, cutting off about 10 million gallons of diesel and gasoline and more than 800,000 gallons of kerosene stored on site. Many gas stations are closed, and others are quickly running out of supplies.

Lack of fuel has led to the curtailment of hospital services. The drinking water supply stopped. Grocery stores and banks are partially open.

A gallon of gasoline costs $30 on the black market in Port-au-Prince and more than $40 in rural areas. Poor people walk for kilometres to get food and water because public transport is very limited.

The country's authorities are not taking the situation seriously, said Alex Dupuy, a Haitian-born sociologist at Wesleyan University. The kingdom is now ruled by gangs, whose influence has only increased since the assassination of President Jovanel Moise in July 2021.

From 2004 to 2017, U.N. peacekeepers bolstered the country's security and helped rebuild political institutions after former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide was ousted following a violent uprising.

Local political leaders have rejected the offer of outside aid, citing U.N. peacekeepers in Haiti who sexually abused children and fueled a cholera epidemic more than a decade ago that killed nearly 10,000 people.

The first round of protests in mid-September prompted France and Spain to close their embassies and banks. Protesters attacked businesses, homes of prominent politicians, and even warehouses of the United Nations World Food Program, stealing millions of dollars worth of food and water.

Tens of thousands of people recently marched in Port-au-Prince and beyond.