() –– Violence is escalating in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince. This week, a United Nations helicopter was hit by gunfire and two gangs apparently attacked US embassy vehicles.
A security source told on Tuesday that two armored vehicles belonging to the US embassy in Haiti were shot at by the criminal groups “400 Mawozo” and “Chen Mechan”. No injuries were reported, but the American vehicles are believed to have been intentionally targeted, the security source said.
The attacks, along with an increase in gang activity around the embassy, led embassy officials to begin the process of evacuating up to 20 diplomatic staff from the capital, another source told on Thursday. .
The evacuation of “non-urgent” diplomatic staff will take place in the “coming days,” the second source said.
Also on Thursday, a humanitarian helicopter used by the UN World Food Program (WFP) in the country was hit by heavy gunfire while flying over Port-au-Prince, forcing the agency to cancel scheduled Friday flights.
Images shared with show at least eight bullet holes in the helicopter’s fuselage and what appears to be its rotor system. The helicopter, which was clearly identified as a UN plane, was carrying 18 people when it was hit, according to a WFP statement.
No one was injured in the incident and the plane was able to land safely, WFP spokesperson Shaza Moghraby told , adding that the agency is still trying to establish what happened.
“Humanitarian airlift is essential to providing a response throughout Haiti,” the WFP statement also states. Many roads in the Caribbean nation are too dangerous for land transportation due to gang attacks and road blockades.
It is not the first time that a helicopter used by the WFP has been hit by gunfire. Last July, a stray bullet hit a helicopter parked at Port-au-Prince’s Toussaint Louverture airport.
Thursday’s helicopter shooting will “probably” cause US airlines to again suspend operations in Port-au-Prince, the second source told .
Last March, major U.S. airlines such as Spirit, JetBlue and American Airlines suspended operations at Port-au-Prince international airport for nearly three months following a sudden spike in gang violence. has contacted all three airlines for comment.
Gang violence in Haiti has increased in recent years, with attacks becoming more brazen and violent. Gangs control much of the capital and ongoing violence has left nearly 700,000 Haitians homeless in recent years. The UN reports that 3,661 people have died since January of this year.
Earlier this month, three babies were among dozens of people brutally killed in a gang attack in central Haiti. Members of the “Big Grif” gang used automatic rifles to kill at least 70 people in an attack that displaced 6,000 people, a UN agency said at the time.
–– ‘s Caitlin Hu and Tara John contributed to this report.
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