The U.S. is ordering non-emergency staff at its embassy in Port-au-Prince to leave Haiti, after an escalation in gang violence this week led dozens of Haitian families to seek refuge outside of the embassy compound in the Tabarre neighborhood of the capital.
The mandate leaves a skeletal staff to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens. It will also mean longer wait time for Haitian nationals seeking to renew their U.S. tourist visas, or get permission to be reunited with family already in the United States. The embassy was already struggling to process such requests due to the high level of kidnappings and armed violence by gangs, which led to a similar order last fall.
“As is always the case, the safety and security of U.S. personnel serving abroad is one of the highest priorities from the Department of State,” Brian A. Nichols, assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere at the State Department, told the Miami Herald on Friday.
On Thursday, the State Department ordered the departure of non-emergency U.S. personnel and their eligible family members from Haiti due to the current security issues “and persisting infrastructure challenges.” It also reissued its “Do Not Travel” advisory, the highest level, for Haiti. The advisory tells U.S. citizens to leave the country immediately due to recent armed clashes between criminal groups and police in Port-au-Prince.
Earlier in the week, dozens of Haitians fleeing their homes decided to seek refuge in front of the U.S. embassy. Several residents said they lived directly behind the embassy or near its housing compound. Asked why they decided to camp out in front of the embassy, several Haitians told the Herald that they wanted the U.S. to help. Others complained that “the embassy doesn’t want to do anything for us.”
“When they go home, they have police for security. We are on our own,” said a man who refused to give his name while sitting on the sidewalk.
In response to the situation, a specialized unit of the Haitian police on Tuesday used tear gas to disperse the crowd. Among those who were tear gassed, according to local media reports, were children and pregnant women. By Friday, the crowds had left the vicinity of the embassy and were taking up refuge at a public school in nearby Caradeux.
Appeal for aid
In October, Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry asked the international community to help the struggling Haitian national police force by deploying “a specialized armed force” to the country. The request was backed by U.N. Secretary General António Guterres and the United States, which penned a resolution in the Security Council for such a deployment.
More than nine months later, however, no country has volunteered to lead the force, though some African nations have offered to send police officers to Haiti and Jamaica has offered to deploy some of its military. Earlier this month, the Security Council asked Guterres to come up with options to improve the security situation, including a possible U.N. peacekeeping force and a non-U.N. multinational force. Guterres was given 30 days to report back.
Guterres’ spokesman said his position on the need for a “robust” force to be deployed to help Haiti has not change and “we’re still looking for movement from member states in that direction.”
