HAITI was paralysed today as a general strike demanding the resignation of President Jovenel Moise over a corruption scandal continued for a fourth day.

Deadly anti-corruption protests have swept the country, with opposition groups claiming at least 11 activists were shot dead by security forces over the weekend before the general strike.

Mr Moise’s planned televised speech was unexpectedly cancelled on Tuesday. However, he addressed the nation appealing for calm after a government vehicle crashed into a group of people, killing at least six and causing further unrest in the capital Port-au-Prince.

“During my five-year presidency, no-one, I emphasise no-one, whatever the pretext, can threaten the interests of the country or put the nation in danger,” he said in the live broadcast.

The president spoke for six minutes and was surrounded by Prime Minister Jean-Henry Ceant, the ministers of interior and justice and national police leaders in a show of unity.

Haiti is the poorest country in the region, with recent World Bank statistics showing that more than 6 million of its 10.4m population live below the national poverty line of US$2.41 per day, while over 2.5m live below the national extreme poverty line of US$1.23 per day. 

It was rocked by a series of violent protests earlier this year after the International Monetary Fund (IMF) insisted it end fuel subsidies which had a disproportionate impact on the poor.

The country’s national debt increased to $2 billion following the devastating earthquake of 2010 and has seen it struggling to deal with a subsequent cholera epidemic.

Protesters are angry after investigations by the Haitian Senate found that almost $2 billion from the Petrocaribe aid fund has been misused with a number of cabinet ministers implicated.

They accuse Mr Moise of blocking court proceedings and protecting members of his ruling party from prosecution over the scandal.