Because of the widespread gang violence in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Canada has chartered a commercial helicopter to evacuate a portion of its embassy staff.
Global Affairs Canada has released a written statement stating that “Canada is temporarily drawing down to essential personnel at its embassy in Haiti due to the volatility of the security situation, the lack of reliable supplies, and the need to support an effective presence in a volatile situation.”
“Relocated personnel will continue to fulfil their duties from a third country.”
This morning, some Canadian employees took a flight arranged in conjunction with the Dominican Republic’s government out of the nation’s capital. These employees will now be based in that nation, which is located on the same island as the Republic of Haiti: Hispaniola.
The Canadian
Canada’s layoffs come after a corresponding action taken by the United States on Sunday, in which U.S. Marines evacuated part of Washington’s diplomatic corps from Haiti. To further safeguard the remaining employees, other Marines stayed behind in Port-au-Prince.
“Increased gang violence in the neighborhood near U.S. embassy compounds and near the airport,” according to a tweet from the U.S. State Department.
On Monday, diplomats from the EU and Germany departed Port-au-Prince. It is thought that European Union Ambassador Stefano Gatto and German Ambassador Peter Sauer traveled by helicopter to the Dominican Republic, where they were granted permission to pass a border that is officially closed to air and ground traffic.
