On 11 November, as a US-based Spirit Airlines passenger plane was preparing to land in Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti, unknown gunmen opened fire. While none of the passengers on board were injured during the incident, a cabin crew member was reportedly slightly injured. Following the incident, according to reports from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA ), the US government decided to ban civil aviation flights to Port-au-Prince airport for 30 days.
Emilio Gonzalez, former director for Latin America at the US National Security Council and former director of Miami International Airport, warned, “Haiti could find itself completely isolated. ” In an interview with Al Jazeera, United Nations (UN) officials said that even UN helicopters could not land in Port-au-Prince for the time being. A further 600 Kenyan police officers were planned to be sent to the country to support the UN-backed security mission in Haiti.
Security Warning from the USA: ‘Do Not Draw Attention’
The US Embassy in Haiti, in a statement addressed to US citizens, warned against travelling to Haiti, underlining that they should not draw attention in case of necessity.
What is happening in Haiti?
Haiti’s political situation was plunged into a deep crisis in 2021 with the assassination of then leader Jovenel Moise. After the assassination, Ariel Henry, who took over the administration, increased the turmoil in the country. Daniel Foote, the former Special Representative of the Biden administration in Haiti, wrote a letter of resignation stating that Henry was linked to Moise’s assassination. Henry escalated the political tension by dismissing the attorney general who labelled him as an assassination suspect. In addition, Pentagon links to the assassination carried out by Colombian mercenaries also came to the fore. The Pentagon admitted to training Colombian soldiers and was the first country to respond to Henry’s call for ‘international assistance and intervention’ at the United Nations. The Haitian people then protested the situation, chanting “The US is the problem, not the solution”.
