PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – The U.S. military said Sunday it was sending troops to strengthen security at the U.S. embassy in Haiti and allow the evacuation of non-essential personnel.
U.S. Southern Command said the aircraft flew into the embassy compound, meaning a helicopter was deployed. He also carefully pointed out that “there were no Haitians on board the military aircraft.” This appeared to quell speculation that senior government officials would leave as gang attacks worsen in Haiti.
Most of the area around the embassy in the capital, Port-au-Prince, is controlled by gangs.
“Airlifting personnel in and out of the embassy is consistent with our standard practices for enhancing security at embassies around the world, and no Haitians were on board the military aircraft,” Southcom said in a statement.
Non-essential personnel often include family members of diplomats, but the embassy already ordered all non-essential personnel and their families to leave the country last July. Personnel transported from the embassy may simply have been rotated out to be replaced by new staff.
Sunday's statement said the U.S. remains focused on supporting Haitian police and putting in place U.N.-approved security deployments. However, such efforts have so far been unsuccessful.
Haiti's embattled Prime Minister Ariel Henry recently visited Kenya to push for the deployment of UN-backed police forces in the East African country to combat gangs. But a Kenyan court ruled in January that the arrangement was unconstitutional.
Henry, who is being asked to resign or form a provisional parliament, is still unable to return home. He arrived in Puerto Rico on Tuesday after failing to land in the Dominican Republic, which borders Haiti.
On Saturday, Dominican President Luis Abinader's office issued a statement saying, “For security reasons, Henry is not welcome to the Dominican Republic.” The Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, has closed its borders.
“Given the current situation, we do not believe it is appropriate for the Prime Minister of Haiti to remain stationed in the Dominican Republic,” the statement said, adding, “This decision reflects the Dominican government’s firm position to safeguard national security and stability.”
The statement described the security situation in Haiti as “completely unsustainable” and said it “poses a direct threat to the security and stability of the Dominican Republic.”
The statement predicted, “If peacekeeping forces are not urgently deployed to restore order, the situation may worsen further.”
Caribbean leaders called an emergency meeting in Jamaica on Monday over the “miserable” situation in Haiti. They invited the United States, France, Canada, the United Nations, and Brazil to the meeting.
Members of the Caricom regional trading bloc have been trying for months to get Haiti's political actors to agree to form an umbrella transitional unity government.
Caricom said on Friday that local leaders were deeply engaged in bringing together opposition parties and civil society groups to form a unity government, but “stakeholders are not yet where they need to be.”
“We are acutely aware of the urgency of reaching an agreement,” the statement said. “We impressed upon each party that time was not on their side in agreeing a way forward. “Our reports indicate that the situation on the ground remains serious and causes us serious concern.”
Last February, Henry agreed to hold a general election by mid-2025, while the international community tried to find foreign troops to fight gang violence there.
Caricom has also been pressuring Henry to announce a power-sharing, consensus government, but the prime minister has yet to do so despite calls for his resignation from the Haitian opposition and civil society groups.
Henry, a neurosurgeon, was appointed Prime Minister of Haiti following the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021.
It was unclear whether Henry would be in Jamaica for the Caricom meeting.
Meanwhile, in Port-au-Prince, police and palace guards worked to retake some streets of the capital on Saturday after gangs carried out large-scale attacks on at least three police stations.
Palace guards with armored trucks attempted to set up a security perimeter around one of the city's three stations after police cracked down on a gang attack late on Friday.
Sporadic shootings continued Saturday, with one woman writhing in pain on a sidewalk in downtown Port-au-Prince with a gunshot wound after a stray bullet struck her leg.
Relentless gang attacks have paralyzed the country for more than a week and cut off supplies of essential goods. Haitian officials extended a state of emergency and nightly curfew on Thursday as gangs continued to attack key state institutions.
But ordinary Haitians, many of whom have been driven from their homes by bloody street fighting, cannot wait. The problem for police in securing government buildings was that many Haitians flocked to them seeking refuge.
“We need shelter because we are the ones paying taxes,” said one woman, who declined to give her name for security reasons.
Another Port-au-Prince resident, who declined to be named, also described Friday's attack.
“They (the gangs) came with big guns. We don't have guns and we can't defend ourselves. “We are all suffering, the children too,” the man said.