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Following months of non-stop violence at the hands of gangs that sent thousands of Haitians onto the streets to demand protection, the Haiti Embassy in Haiti announced on Tuesday that it was suspending down due to nearby shooting.
Today is a holiday at the embassy. Due to shooting nearby, all personnel are restricted to the Embassy’s grounds until further notice.
The embassy issued a statement on its website and social media platforms prohibiting travel between the compounds and warning that some access routes to the secure compound may also be affected by the ongoing rapid gunfire.
US citizens in Port-au-Prince were advised in the embassy’s message to totally avoid the area around the diplomatic compound as well as any protests and large crowds of people.
The embassy was closed a day after several thousand people demanded protection from the violent gangs that have been pillaging neighborhoods around the capital city of Haiti and beyond for months during a march through the city with their faces covered to hide their identity.
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Haiti’s Gang Violence Exacerbates Widespread Poverty
As the nation waits for the UN Security Council to make a decision regarding the prospective deployment of an international armed force, daily life for Haitians has been interrupted by ongoing gang violence that has made poverty in the entire nation worse.
Experts estimate that gangs have taken control of up to 80% of Port-au-Prince since President Jovenel Mose’s murder in 2021, murdering, raping, and sowing terror in regions already plagued by persistent poverty.
According to the most recent UN report, more than 1,600 individuals have been reported dead, maimed, or kidnapped between January and March, which is an increase of almost 30% from the same period in 2022.
Almost 300 confirmed incidents of kidnapping have been recorded so far this year, which is roughly equal to the amount reported for the entire previous year and nearly three times the figure for 2021, according to a study released by UNICEF on Monday.
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Source: www.cbsnews.com
