Ariel Henry, the prime minister of Haiti, visited Kenya to advocate for the deployment of an East African police force, supported by the United Nations, to combat gang activity. However, a Kenyan court declared that such a deployment would be against the constitution.
Haiti’s Port-au-Prince On Sunday, the US military said that it had dispatched troops into Haiti to strengthen security at the US Embassy and release non-essential staff.
According to the U.S. Southern Command, the aircraft flew to the embassy compound, indicating that helicopters were used in the operation. The statement that “no Haitians were on board the military aircraft” was made with caution. That appeared to be an attempt to dispel any rumors that high-ranking government officials would be departing as the intensity of gang attacks in Haiti increases.
“There were no Haitians on board the military aircraft, and this airlift of personnel into and out of the Embassy is consistent with our standard practice for Embassy security augmentation worldwide,” the Southcom statement reads.
The families of diplomats are frequently included in the category of nonessential personnel; nevertheless, the embassy had previously issued an order in July for the departure of all family members and nonessential staff. It’s possible that the employees being flown out of the embassy were merely changing out to make room for new hires.
According to the statement released on Sunday, the United States is still committed to supporting the Haitian police and setting up a security deployment that has been approved by the UN. However, thus far, those attempts have not been fruitful.
Henry, a neurosurgeon, was named prime minister of Haiti following President Jovenel Moise’s killing in July 2021.
Henry’s presence in Jamaica for the Caricom meeting was uncertain.
Meanwhile, in Port-au-Prince, police and palace guards labored on Saturday to recapture a few of the city’s streets following significant attacks by gangs on at least three police stations.
After police repelled a gang attack late Friday, National Palace guards attempted to erect an armored truck and form a security cordon around one of the three downtown stations.
Saturday saw more sporadic shooting, and one woman, struck in the leg by a stray bullet, writhed in agony on the sidewalk in downtown Port-au-Prince.
The persistent gang assaults
