In view of increasing gang violence, the UN is withdrawing a large proportion of its staff from Haiti. At the same time, the United Nations announced an “airlift” to supply the population.
In view of the escalating gang violence in Haiti, the United Nations is withdrawing unnecessary personnel from the Caribbean crisis state. Due to the volatile security situation and based on the results of a revised security risk management process, non-essential personnel will be reduced, a UN spokesman said.
He stressed that the United Nations was not leaving Haiti. Employees who carried out life-saving work remained in the country. In view of the escalation of violence in Haiti, the EU evacuated all of its diplomatic staff from the Caribbean country at the beginning of the week. The German ambassador also left the country.
Government crisis and escalating violence
There is a government crisis in Haiti following the resignation of interim Prime Minister Ariel Henry. Henry took over the reins of government shortly after the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021.
Brutal armed gangs, which together control almost all of Port-au-Prince, banded together in late February and called for Henry’s resignation. They attacked police stations and freed thousands of prisoners from prisons.
The head of government then did not return from a trip abroad. Henry finally resigned earlier this week. There have been no elections in Haiti since 2016.
UN announces “airlift” to supply the population
In view of the increasingly precarious humanitarian situation in Haiti, the United Nations has announced that it will supply the crisis state via an “airlift”. The UN office in Haiti is working on “establishing an air bridge with the Dominican Republic to enable the transport of aid and the relocation of UN personnel,” said the mission in the online service X.