A protester burns tires during a demonstration following the resignation of its Prime Minister Ariel Henry, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on March 12, 2024. (Clarens Siffroy, AFP via Getty Images/TNS)
(Tribune News Service) — The U.S. government is arranging a charter flight to help U.S. citizens evacuate Haiti, where armed groups have once more breached the main seaport in Port-au-Prince and police on Saturday were carrying out an operation in the stronghold of a well-known gang leader who has been threatening civil war amid a wave of violent attacks.
The arrangement for the charter flight comes amid increased panic and fear after the private residence of the country’s police chief was set ablaze just hours after armed groups fired shots across the runway at the Toussaint Louverture International Airport in the direction of the police’s headquarters.
The voluntary evacuations, which are not being done by the U.S. embassy, will occur out of Cap-Haïtien’s Hugo Chavez International Airport. Unlike Haiti’s gang-ridden capital, the northern port has been relatively calm. Still, like Toussaint Louverture International Airport in the capital, Cap-Haïtien’s runway has not seen any commercial air traffic since major U.S. carriers and other international airlines suspended service to the Caribbean country on March 4, citing the ongoing civil unrest. Domestic service was also suspended in Haiti after armed gangs breached the perimeter of both the national and international airports.
At least one flight, on a plane with 166 seats, is scheduled to leave Sunday, a source in Haiti confirmed to the Miami Herald.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the State Department said the flight is for U.S. citizens with valid U.S. passports. Americans are also warned that “travel to Cap-Haïtien is conducted at your own risk.”
But getting to Cap-Haïtien is no easy matter, leaving some Americans trapped on the island.
“From Port-au-Prince, there is no way that you can safely travel to Cap-Haïtien,” said Andy Faller, who has been stuck in Haiti with his wife and their 6- and 7-year-old adoptive children. “We are stuck here.”
Faller said that even though they’re done with their adoption after seven years, they cannot safely get to the U.S. embassy to process the paperwork. Located in Tabarre, the embassy is in the crosshairs of several violent gangs that have been looting nearby businesses.
All of the roads heading north out of the capital are under the control of armed groups. Taking such a risk could lead to getting kidnapped and held for ransom — or worse, being killed.
Faced with few options, Haitians have been forced to shelter in place. Those living near the border with the Dominican Republic have attempted to cross, but the neighboring government is not accepting anyone with Haitian passports, several people who have attempted to flee said.
Others with deep pockets are attempting to leave by helicopters, but even that isn’t guaranteed. Though several companies offering the service told the Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald that charter prices range from $10,000 to $15,000, operators also acknowledge that costs could run into the tens of thousands of dollars. Several people in Haiti said they’ve been quoted prices as high as $80,000.
It is not unusual for the State Department to coordinate flights for stranded U.S. citizens in countries where conflict or war has made it difficult or impossible for people to get out. How many Americans will avail themselves of the flight remains unclear.
On its travel.gov website, the State Department said the flight is available for U.S. citizens and their extended families. Americans are asked to fill out a crisis intake form at travel.state.gov
Haiti has had a Level 4— Do Not Travel—warning from the State Department for quite some time. Still, there are a number of U.S. citizens in the country, some of whom have been stuck waiting for the completion of adoptions, for example. Unlike after the 2010 earthquake, when both the Haitian government and the State Department made exceptions for those families, this has not been the case, leaving families to decide whether to stay with their children or leave them behind.
Faller, who is from Texas, recently contacted his congressional representative, Rep. Jake Ellzey, after calls to the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince, he said, didn’t really answer his questions, other than asking if he filed Form N-600K.
“Where we live, its fine, we haven’t had issues yet. The gangs aren’t here. But it’s more the unknown of what is going to happen, how far is it going to go,” he said. “Are we going to be able to find the supplies we need? Not being able to just leave. We don’t have any options unless the United States is willing to do something as far as processing emergency visas in helping us get out. We’re here.”
The charter flight not only doesn’t help those trapped in Port-au-Prince but also specifically mention that travelers have to have U.S. passports, which Faller said, appears to leave out those with U.S. resident cards. There is no option for residency or green cards on the intake form individuals are asked to fill out.
“What about those with spousal visas or adopted Haitian children, even if you manage to get a visa? Where are they supposed to go if they can’t get on this plane?” Faller said. “We are worried about us who can’t get out, but the average Haitian is having a very hard time surviving right now.”
Plans for the voluntary evacuations come as those in Haiti continue to find themselves faced with a rapidly deteriorating crisis. The coordinated violence by armed gangs has led to the escape of thousands of prisoners after two massive jailbreaks. They’ve also targeted the airport, seaport and National Palace.
On Saturday, Haiti National Police said specialized units were carrying out an operation in the lower Delmas neighborhood of the capital, which began on Friday.
“Several bandits were mortally injured, firearms were sized and roads were unblocked by law enforcement officers,” the police said in a statement.
Not initially planned, the operation began as an attempt by the police to unblock a road and regain control of one of the bases belonging to a specialized unit.
During the operation, however, police found themselves in a shootout with armed gang members, including Jimmy Chérizier, the former policeman turned gang chief known as Barbecue, who considers the area his fiefdom.
In a brief statement confirming the death of armed gang members, some also reportedly from an explosion in the area, the Haiti National Police did not provide details on the fate of Chérizier. It would only say that the operation remains ongoing and they were asking the population to cooperate.
As the police operation was unfolding, armed gangs attacked several businesses in lower Delmas and La Saline. A Toyota car dealership was looted and vehicles were stolen and set on fire. At another business, there was also reportedly an explosion that killed an unknown number of individuals. The bandits also returned to the seaport, which had been under the control of the police and army following several attacks days earlier.
Drone images showed dozens of people running in and out of containers at the port. The crowds are part of the gangs’ changing strategy where they send the population in first to pillage, and then follow.
Currently, over 260 humanitarian-owned containers are controlled by armed groups at the port, the United Nations’ lead child welfare agency said Saturday, announcing that 17 of its containers were looted.
“Depriving children of vital health supplies amidst a collapsing healthcare system is a violation of their rights. This incident occurs at a critical moment when children need them the most,” Bruno Maes, UNICEF’s representative in Haiti, said. “Looting of supplies that are essential for life-saving support for children must end immediately and humanitarian access must remain safe.”
Maes, the UNICEF chief, said the violence is fanning a deeper humanitarian crisis that is bound to affect not just the capital but other areas of Haiti as people struggle to find food and other essentials.
For example, he said, six out of 10 hospitals are not functional due to the lack of electricity, fuel and medical supply shortages, which has a severe impact on children who need emergency medical attention, especially in Port-au-Prince. A critical shortage of blood products is also hindering surgeries, including those for individuals wounded in the crossfire.
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