The United States (US) military said on Sunday (Mar 10) that it carried out an operation in violence-hit Haiti to airlift non-essential American embassy personnel from the country. In a statement, the military’s Southern Command said, “This airlift of personnel into and out of the embassy is consistent with our standard practice for embassy security augmentation worldwide, and no Haitians were on board the military aircraft.”
“Our embassy remains focused on advancing US government efforts to support the Haitian people, including mobilizing support for the Haitian National Police, expediting the deployment of the United Nations-authorized Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission, and accelerating a peaceful transition of power via free and fair elections,” the statement added.
Blinken speaks with Kenyan prez about crisis
The airlift comes as the US State Department said that Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Kenyan President William Ruto about the Haiti crisis on Saturday and the two leaders underscored their commitment to a multinational security mission to restore order.
“They underscored unwavering commitment to the deployment of a Multinational Security Support mission to support the Haitian National Police in creating the security conditions necessary to conduct free and fair elections,” a statement from the State Department said.
Haiti entered a state of emergency last Sunday after fighting escalated. Armed gangs, who are behind the violence, are calling for the overthrow of the government of Prime Minister Ariel Henry. Since the violence started on February 29, scores of people have been killed and more than 15,000 have been forced from their homes.
The violence began as Prime Minister Henry was in Kenya seeking a deal for an international force to fight the gangs. Henry, who has been in Puerto Rico since Tuesday, held a telephone conversation with Blinken.
According to State Department official Brian Nichols, Blinken spoke with Henry about “the urgent need to accelerate the transition to a broader, more inclusive government.”
State of emergency extended for another month
Henry has been unable to return to his country. On Thursday, his government announced that the state of emergency would be extended for another month. The state of emergency bans all public protests, day and night, and allows security forces to use “all legal means” at their disposal to enforce the curfew and apprehend those who break it, the government said.
Also watch | Haiti PM stranded in Puerto Rico as he tried to return home amidst gang violence
The United Nations (UN) has warned that the country’s health system was “nearing collapse,” with shortages of staff, equipment, beds, drugs and blood to treat patients with gunshot wounds.
