In a humanitarian catastrophe in Haiti caused by gang violence, the US has sent troops to the island to increase security and remove people from the embassy. U.S. Southern Command announced airlifts of people into and out of the embassy and an operation to bolster its security in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince.
Reports show State Secretary Antony Blinken went to Kingston, Jamaica, to discuss sending a multi-national security team to the island to end the bloodshed. Despite UN approval, Kenya’s high court declared that the deployment of the Kenyan military to Haiti last year was unconstitutional.
A state of emergency has been declared in Haiti as gangs take control of large areas of the Caribbean country. The health system is on the verge of collapse, and millions more are in critical need of humanitarian aid. Ariel Henry, Haiti’s prime minister, is staying in Puerto Rico because of the conflict. Over 360,000 people have been forced to flee their homes as a result of the violence, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
At the meeting in Jamaica, Blinken is anticipated to address the formation of a new transition council to administer the country. Ariel Henry stepped down on March 12th after weeks of intensifying pressure and extensive violence.
U.S. missionaries in Haiti have been pleading for help for the last two days, detailing the relentless gunfire around their hideout and the sight of decaying bodies littering the streets. According to the group’s chairman, the Biden administration has only offered them safety advice and no further support.
When Love A Neighbor member Jill Dolan submitted a request to the US Embassy for assistance in evacuating her family from Haiti, she received no help except to be told to stay safe.
Dolan worries that they will become entangled in something perilous. The gunfire never ends. Their position is precarious; she said they are already at the forefront of the problem. It’s quite discouraging.
