The United States has commenced the evacuation of its embassy staff from Haiti ; several Detachments of U.S. Marines extracted non-essential personnel amid intensifying gang violence in Port-au-Prince. The operation, carried out under the cover of darkness, comes in response to armed gangs attempting to overtake the political quarter of the capital, including areas critical to the country’s governance such as the Champ de Mars, which houses government ministries, embassies, and the presidential palace.
German and other European Union representatives have also evacuated to the Dominican Republic, signaling the widespread alarm over Haiti’s rapidly deteriorating security environment. The gangs’ offensive, aimed at toppling the government, has seen a concerted attack on police stations, prisons, hospitals, and strategic infrastructure like the port and airport, pushing the nation into further chaos.
International Response
The situation has escalated since Ariel Henry’s tenure as Prime Minister began after the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021. Gangs, significantly empowered and linked to extensive criminal networks involved in kidnapping, drug smuggling, and extortion, now exert control over more than 80% of Port-au-Prince. Their recent actions have led to a near-collapse of police resistance and a dire humanitarian crisis, with the population facing extreme violence and a lack of essential services.
International reactions have varied, with some, like former US special envoy to Haiti Daniel Foote, calling for a substantial international policing mission to stabilize the situation. Foote suggests that a force of 5,000 to 10,000 officers from major economies with experience in police capacity building is necessary, dismissing the proposed deployment of 2,000 Kenyan police officers as insufficient.
El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele has offered assistance, conditional on a UN Security Council resolution, the host country’s consent, and covered expenses. Meanwhile, Caribbean leaders are set to meet to discuss potential political solutions.
We saw similar images in El Salvador a few years ago. Gangs bathing with the skulls of their victims.
All the “experts” said they couldn’t be defeated, because they were an “intrinsic part of our society”.
They were wrong.
We obliterated them.
The same must be done in Haiti. https://t.co/RkrBfZuGGM
— Nayib Bukele (@nayibbukele) March 11, 2024
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