In other Haiti news, the French government has rejected a petition from a group of leading activists and academics calling for the repayment of an “independence debt” imposed nearly 200 years ago after Haiti successfully won independence. Haiti was forced to pay France around 90 million gold francs up until World War II, which after interest and inflation is valued today at up to $40 billion. On Tuesday, French officials dismissed calls to repay Haiti, but refused to comment on whether the debt was legitimate.