A lack of fuel, protests, looting and another outbreak of cholera lead to a further deterioration in the security, health and supply situation in Haiti. American citizens have now been asked by their government to leave the country.
A protester holds a piece of wood shaped like a gun during a protest against interim Prime Minister Ariel Henry, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, October 3, 2022.
(dpa)
Because of the poor security, health and supply situation in Haiti, the American government has advised its citizens to leave the country. The State Department has also temporarily approved the exit of directly employed American government employees and their families in the capital Port-au-Prince, the American embassy in the Caribbean state said on Friday (local time).
Persistent instability due to fuel shortages led, among other things, to an interruption in the availability of medical care, drinking water and food. There is also a new cholera outbreak. The American government is only able to provide emergency aid to US citizens in Haiti to a very limited extent. The police lacked the means to respond to requests for assistance.
Haiti is the poorest country on the American continent. In July 2021, President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated in his residence under circumstances that are still unclear. Gang fighting in the greater Port-au-Prince area, which has been going on for more than a year, has worsened the already difficult security situation and partially paralyzed the capital. Bandits keep blocking access to the Varreu port in Port-au-Prince, leading to fuel shortages.
There have also been protests and looting in recent weeks after the government of interim Prime Minister Ariel Henry, which has been in office for more than a year, announced a significant increase in fuel prices. For the first time in three years, there has also been a cholera outbreak in the past few days.
Haitian media reported Friday that the Council of Ministers had authorized Henry to seek international assistance through the deployment of a “special armed force.” On Thursday, the head of the Organization of American States (OAS), Luis Almagro, called on Haiti to ask for foreign security forces.