The U.S. embassy in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, was compelled to close its doors on Tuesday due to the presence of “rapid gunfire” in the vicinity, as announced by the embassy itself.
In recent months, Port-au-Prince has been plagued by violent protests and gang activities, prompting the United States to advise nonessential personnel to evacuate the country last month, citing the risk of kidnappings.
Highlighting the alarming threat posed by armed clashes between gangs and the police, as well as the elevated risk of violent crime and kidnappings throughout Port-au-Prince, the U.S. Department of State urged its citizens in late July to make arrangements to leave Haiti promptly through commercial means.
A New Hampshire nurse and her daughter were abducted in Haiti last week and their whereabouts remain unknown.
The first quarter of 2023 witnessed a 28 percent surge in gang violence in Haiti, as documented by the United Nations. The senior U.N. representative in Port-au-Prince alerted the U.N. Security Council earlier this year, revealing that gang violence in 2022 had reached unprecedented levels.
As a result of the violence, approximately 165,000 Haitians have been forced to flee their homes, seeking refuge in temporary shelters.
With famine gripping the country, around 100,000 people are currently without food. The United Nations World Food Program withdrew from Haiti last month due to budget constraints. The U.N. estimates that nearly 5 million Haitians are suffering from food insecurity.
Last week, the United States endorsed a United Nations initiative to establish a multinational police force in Haiti, led by Kenya, with the aim of combating gang violence primarily concentrated in Port-au-Prince.
Helen La Lime, the secretary-general’s special representative in Haiti, has been advocating for the deployment of such a force since October 2022.
The U.S. embassy has advised Americans to avoid large gatherings, to leave affected areas of Port-au-Prince if possible, and to be cautious of roadblocks.
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