MIAMI.-A charter flight carrying dozens of Americans fleeing rising gang violence in Haiti landed in Miami on Sunday, U.S. State Department officials said.
More than 30 Americans were on the government-chartered flight, officials said in a statement. He arrived at Miami International Airport after the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince this month urged Americans to leave “as soon as possible” due to the chaos in Haiti.
Passenger Avlot Quessa, who lives in Boston, traveled from the center of the country in order to board the charter flight after traveling to Haiti last month for what was supposed to be a week-long visit to his mother.
“It’s just terrible… the suffering, you can imagine,” Quessa told the Miami Herald regarding the Caribbean nation. “Haiti is my homeland and it is very stressful to see the homeland go through this act of violence, destruction… and they are our neighbors.”
Haiti’s main airport in Port-au-Prince remains closed following gang attacks that have raged across the country in recent weeks, putting many people on the brink of famine. Government and humanitarian aid agencies reported looting of support supplies over the weekend as the situation worsened.
The U.S. State Department announced Saturday that it would offer limited charter flights for Americans, departing from the less chaotic northern city of Cap-Haïtien.
Officials said they could not provide ground transportation to Cap-Haïtien, and that Americans should consider boarding charter flights “only if you believe you can arrive safely at the Cap-Haïtien airport.”
“We encourage U.S. citizens who are still in Haiti and wish to leave to contact the State Department using the crisis entry form on our website, if they have not already done so,” the agency said.
People who take flights coordinated by the U.S. government must sign a promissory note agreeing to reimburse the government for the cost of the ticket.
Crisis in Haiti
Haiti is the scene of an outbreak of violence by criminal gangs, who banded together to demand the departure of Prime Minister Ariel Henry, an unpopular leader who was not elected by elections.
The leader, in power since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021, announced his resignation in the early hours of Tuesday after days of international and local pressure.
The small Caribbean nation now awaits the appointment of a transitional presidential council until new elections are held.
Source: With information from AP/AFP
