US evacuates more citizens from Haiti

The United States on Wednesday flew citizens out of Haiti’s violence-ravaged capital Port-au-Prince, with more evacuations expected as the crisis persists.

This was disclosed by the State Department.

The United States chartered a helicopter that took some 15 citizens from Port-au-Prince, which has been largely overtaken by armed gangs, to the neighbouring Dominican Republic, the State Department said.

“We do expect these helicopter movements to make multiple trips in order to try and get as many American citizens as we can,” Patel told reporters.

At least 30 citizens are expected to come out each day, including Wednesday, on the helicopter flights, which will continue contingent on security and demand, another State Department official said.

Patel said the US government personnel will offer consular assistance in the Dominican Republic’s capital, Santo Domingo, from which Americans will need to arrange their own travel back to the United States.

The United States carried out the first such operation on Sunday when it flew another 30 citizens to Florida on a chartered plane from the northern city of Cap-Haitien, which has been comparatively unscathed by gang violence.

The State Department said it was evaluating whether to arrange more flights out of Cap-Haitien.

Much of Haiti, the Western Hemisphere’s poorest country, has descended in recent weeks into virtual anarchy after years of intersecting political, security, and health crises.

The United States joined Caribbean leaders last week in pushing through a plan that will see the prime minister replaced by a transitional council ahead of the expected arrival of a security force led by Kenya.

AFP