The United States government, on Saturday (Mar 16) said that it is arranging a charter flight for its citizens stranded in Haiti as gang violence grips the country. Meanwhile, the government of Guatemala said that the offices of its honorary consul in Haiti have been ransacked amid the ongoing clashes.
US to evacuate citizens
The US State Department said the charter flight would evacuate those with valid passports from Haiti and leave from Cap-Haitien International Airport. However, it can only accommodate limited travel given the ongoing violence in the country.
The US officials also warned that the travel from the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince to Cap-Haitien would be “dangerous” and advised that people should only consider the flight if they can safely make it to the Cap-Haitien airport.
The airport is said to be in the less chaotic northern city of Cap-Haitien which is around 193 kilometres away from Port-au-Prince. The ongoing attacks have also prompted the US to deploy troops in Haiti to secure the American Embassy.
Haiti has witnessed a wave of violence after gangs called for the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry. However, without a clear plan to replace him, attacks continued across parts of Port-au-Prince. The weeks-long ongoing violence has pushed the citizens of Haiti to the brink of famine.
Guatemala consul offices ransacked
The Guatemalan foreign ministry, on Saturday, said that the offices of its honorary consul in Haiti were ransacked but did not give details about the damage and theft. The attack, as per the Guatemalan officials, took place on Friday (Mar 15).
The ministry has also said that only those with “paperwork and documentation of the last four or five years had been previously transferred” to the Guatemala Embassy for Haiti which is located in the neighbouring Dominican Republic, reported the Associated Press.
Situation in Haiti
While Haiti has witnessed years of violence and chaos, the recent wave is particularly brutal with gangs demanding Henry’s resignation who pledged to step down last week as soon as a transition council and a temporary leader are chosen.
The unelected PM, who assumed power after the assassination of Haiti’s last president, was supposed to step down in February. However, when he did not, deadly protests seeking his ouster erupted in the country’s capital last month.
Henry is currently stranded in Puerto Rico as an escalation of violence has prevented him from going back to Haiti.
According to local media reports, police were facing off against gangs in the Delmas area, on Friday, which is a stronghold of the G9 alliance led by Jimmy “Barbecue” Chérizier.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation in Haiti continues to deteriorate with around 1.4 million Haitians on the verge of famine and more than four million in need of food aid, according to media reports citing aid groups.
UNICEF also warned of record hunger and life-threatening malnutrition in the capital’s poorest and most dangerous neighbourhoods. One in four children across Haiti is suffering from chronic malnutrition or stunting, said the UN agency.
(With inputs from agencies)
