The United States embassy in Haiti is preparing to evacuate non-essential diplomatic staff as a powerful gang coalition tightens its grip on the capital. Gunmen targeted two embassy vehicles this week, though no personnel were injured. Other foreign officials have also come under fire, including a UN helicopter hit by gunfire. Due to the deteriorating security situation, reports indicate that 20 non-essential staff will leave the country soon.
The surge in violence in Haiti has led to attacks on numerous towns outside the capital, displacing thousands of people and causing famine-level hunger. The gang coalition, Viv Ansanm, has escalated attacks, causing widespread devastation. The conflict has intensified security concerns, with gangs now controlling many neighborhoods and branching out beyond the capital.
The UN has authorised an international police force to help Haiti’s police regain control from the gangs, but the mission lacks resources and has had limited success. Efforts to convert the force into a formal peacekeeping mission have been blocked, leaving the gangs with a stronghold over the capital.
Haiti’s leadership and the UN’s human rights experts have expressed concerns about the lack of security forces to combat the gangs, leading to a dire situation where millions of people are held hostage by a relatively small number of armed individuals. The ongoing crisis in Haiti underscores the urgent need for international intervention to address the escalating violence and instability in the country.
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