By Evens Sanon -
The Associated Press
The US military announced Sunday it was sending soldiers to beef up security at the US embassy in Haiti and allow non-essential personnel to leave.
The aircraft traveled to the embassy compound, the US Southern Command said, meaning the effort involved helicopters.
He asserted that “there were no Haitians on board the aircraft,” a remark apparently intended to dispel any speculation that senior Haitian government officials might flee at a time of worsening gang attacks in Haiti.
The neighborhood around the embassy in the capital, Port-au-Prince, is largely controlled by gangs.
“This airlift of personnel in and out of the embassy is consistent with our standard practice to increase the security of embassies around the world, and there were no Haitians on board the aircraft,” according to the Southern Command statement.
In many cases, non-essential staff can include diplomats' families, but the embassy had already ordered the departure of non-essential staff and all family members in July.
It is possible that staff transferred out of the embassy have simply been rotating to be replaced by new staff.
A “terrible” situation
Sunday's statement indicated that the United States remains determined to assist Haitian police and organize some type of security deployment authorized by the United Nations.
But those efforts have been unsuccessful so far.
Haiti's embattled Prime Minister Ariel Henry recently traveled to Kenya to push for the U.N.-backed deployment of a police force from the East African country to combat gangs in his nation.
But a Kenyan court ruled in January that such deployment is unconstitutional.
Henry, who is required to resign his position or form a transition council, remains unable to return home.
He arrived in Puerto Rico on Tuesday after he was unable to land in the Dominican Republic, which shares a border with Haiti.
Caribbean leaders called an emergency meeting on Monday in Jamaica about what they described as a “terrible” situation in Haiti.
They have invited the United States, France, Canada, the United Nations and Brazil to the meeting.
Members of the CARICOM regional trade bloc have been trying for months to get political players in Haiti to agree to form a transitional unity government.
The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) said Friday that while regional leaders remain deeply committed to trying to bring together opposition parties and civil society groups to form a unity government, “stakeholders are not yet where they need to be.” be".
“We are very aware of the urgent need to reach consensus,” the statement reads.
“We have made it clear to the respective parties that time is not on their side when it comes to agreeing the way forward.
According to our reports, the situation on the ground remains dire and seriously concerns us.”
The demands to Henry
In February, Henry agreed to hold a general election by mid-2025, and the international community has tried to find any foreign armed forces willing to fight gang violence there.
CARICOM has also pressured Henry to announce a consensus and power-sharing government in the meantime, but the prime minister has yet to do so, despite calls from Haitian opposition parties and civil society groups for his resignation.
Henry, a neurosurgeon, was appointed prime minister of Haiti following the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in July 2021.
It is unknown if Henry will be in Jamaica for the CARICOM meeting.
Meanwhile, in Port-au-Prince, police and palace guards mobilized Saturday to retake some streets in the capital after gangs launched major attacks on at least three police stations.
National Palace guards accompanied by an armored truck attempted to establish a security perimeter around one of the center's three stations after police repelled a gang attack on Friday night.
Sporadic gunfire continued Saturday and a woman writhed in pain on the sidewalk in downtown Port-au-Prince with a wound after a stray bullet hit her in the leg.
Gangs paralyze the country
Relentless gang attacks have paralyzed the country for more than a week and caused shortages of basic goods.
Haitian authorities on Thursday extended a state of emergency and nightly curfew as gangs continued to attack key state institutions.
But average Haitians, many of whom have been forced from their homes by bloody street fighting, cannot wait.
The problem for police in protecting government buildings is that many Haitians have entered them seeking refuge.
“We are the ones who pay taxes and we need shelter,” said one woman, who did not give her name for security reasons.
Another Port-au-Prince resident, who also did not give his name, described Friday's attacks.
“They (the gangs) came with long weapons.
We have no weapons and cannot defend ourselves.
“All of us children are suffering,” the man denounced.