As gang violence in Haiti worsens, the US State Department called the security situation in the country “untenable” and said it was considering how to help Americans get out of the Caribbean island nation.
“It is no exaggeration to say that this is one of the most dire humanitarian situations in the world,” said US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel. “Gang violence continues to make the security situation in Haiti untenable, and this is an area that requires our attention and action.”
A charter plane carrying dozens of US citizens fleeing escalating gang violence in Haiti landed in Miami on Sunday, US State Department officials said.
More than 30 US citizens were on the government-chartered plane, officials said in a statement. The plane arrived at Miami International Airport after the US Embassy in Port-au-Prince earlier this month asked US citizens to leave “as quickly as possible” as chaos grips Haiti.
The US State Department also announced on Saturday (16/3) that it was offering US citizens to fly on a limited number of charter planes departing from the safer northern Haitian city of Cap-Haïtien.
Officials said they could not provide transportation to Cap-Haïtien and that US citizens were advised to leave the city “only if they can reach Cap-Haïtien airport safely.”
Citizens who board US government chartered flights must sign an agreement to reimburse the government for costs incurred.
On the other hand, the State Department also commented on the situation in Gaza, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to send a team consisting of a number of Israeli officials to Washington, to discuss with Joe Biden administration officials the possibility of a Rafah operation.
“We have made it clear at the highest levels that Israel cannot and should not proceed with a full-scale military operation in Rafah without a credible and implementable plan to ensure the safety and support of the more than 1 million people sheltering there,” Patel said.
The White House is skeptical of Netanyahu’s plans for the operation. Biden and Netanyahu spoke Monday for the first time in more than a month. [ps/rs]