The US State Department has asked American people in Haiti to leave the Caribbean country as soon as possible, citing the present security situation and infrastructure concerns.
“U.S. citizens in Haiti should leave as soon as possible via commercial or private transport,” the government stated in a statement Wednesday.
In late July, the State Department issued the first ‘do not travel’ advisory for Haiti.
At the time, the department warned that kidnappings were a possibility and advised non-emergency diplomatic workers to leave the country.
After President Jovenel Mossé was assassinated in 2021, gang violence in Haiti erupted, forcing over 100,000 individuals to evacuate their homes.
Over the weekend, a formidable armed gang opened fire on a group of religious people who marched into the gang’s territory, seemingly expecting the gangsters would not shoot.
Pastor Marcorel “Marco” Zidor of the Evangelical Pool of Bethesda Church led hundreds of church members on a march to the outskirts of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, on Saturday.
According to Haiti authorities Chief Frantz Elbé, the authorities tried failed to disrupt the march, including discouraging the organizers and erecting a security pyramid to prevent protesters from reaching their goal.
However, he stated that the demonstrators were divided into multiple groups.
According to the United Nations, gangs in Haiti have killed over 2,400 people and kidnapped nearly 1,000 since January.
