US initiates airlifting embassy staff out of crisis-stricken Haiti

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News websites
11 Mar 2024 09:42

A statement from the German Foreign Ministry also confirms that its ambassador has joined other EU representatives in leaving and going to the Dominican Republic on Sunday.

A man enters the US embassy in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Sunday, March 10, 2024. (AP)

It has been reported that the US has begun the procedure of airlifting its embassy staff out of Haiti as a result of the gang violence taking place in the capital.

On Sunday, the Miami Herald announced that US Marines were deployed to the capital Port-au-Prince under the pretext of embassy security and to help evacuate non-essential staff.

The US special envoy to Haiti, Daniel Foote, expected the gangs to “simmer down” if their demand for the resignation of President Ariel Henry was met.

However, Foote believed restoring order to the country would still need around 5,000 and 10,000 police officers and be led by a major economy with experience in police capacity building, like the US, Canada, UK, France, or another EU country.

This comes despite repeated statements by the US that they will not send troops to Haiti.

Meanwhile, the US news group McClatchy reported there had been “frantic” exchanges between US and Haitian diplomats that had raised the prospect of an emergency deployment of US special forces under the guise of restoring order.

A statement by the German Foreign Ministry said that the German ambassador has joined other EU representatives in leaving and going to the Dominican Republic on Sunday.

German Foreign Ministry Spokesperson relayed to AFP that “due to the very tense security situation in Haiti, the German ambassador and the permanent representative in Port-au-Prince left for the Dominican Republic today together with representatives from the EU delegation”, adding that they would work from there “until further notice."

A 'totally unsustainable' situation

One police officer warned during an interview for AyiboPost news, “If the Champ de Mars falls … it’s the end," referring to the area in the capital, which is home to government ministries, embassies, consulates, banks and hotels, Haiti’s supreme court, and the official presidential residence. Police still had control over the Champ de Mars area on Sunday, but foreign governments have already urged their citizens to leave the country.

A prominent leader of a Haitian gang issued a stark warning on March 5, asserting that the escalating turmoil in the capital, Port-au-Prince, could lead to civil war and "genocide" unless Henry steps down.

Armed clashes between security forces and gangs erupted on February 29 while acting President Ariel Henry was on a visit to Kenya. While he was expected to step down last month, he found himself confronted by armed criminal gangs orchestrating a coordinated assault to ouster him while outside the country.

Haiti's main airport also came under attack by mobs while the neighboring Dominican Republic refused to grant permission for the Prime Minister to land in the country.

“Henry is not welcome in the Dominican Republic for safety reasons," authorities said in a statement. It said the security situation in Haiti is “totally unsustainable” and “poses a direct threat to the safety and stability of the Dominican Republic."

In the latest news, Guy Philippe, who assisted in leading a coup in Haiti in 2004 and went back to the country last year after serving a prison sentence in the US, urged Haiti's Prime Minister to resign on Friday, announcing that he wishes to become president.