Mexico City: Burnt-out cars, makeshift barricades and shuttered businesses signalled a week of unrest in Haiti, where protesters are demanding the resignation of President Jovenel Moïse and more violent protests are feared.

Streets, schools and banks were closed throughout the country, bringing the economy to a standstill. Shortages of oil, power and food abound. The nation's currency is in free fall, and allegations of corruption linked to Mr Moïse have brought the nation to a crisis point.

Said Fritz Jean, a former prime minister and past governor of Haiti's Central Bank: "To me it is obvious: the President, particularly, doesn't govern anything at all right now. In fact, we are in a state of vacancy right now."

Firefighters run to a restaurant that was set on fire during a protest in Port-au-Prince. Credit:AP

Moïse has not been seen publicly since Wednesday morning, when he issued a pre-recorded address appealing for calm and offering to form a unity government in the aftermath of several failed attempts to appoint a new prime minister, who would be his fourth nominee in just over two years.