US bolsters security at US Embassy in Haiti

The United States Marines have evacuated all non-essential personnel and bolstered security at the US Embassy in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. This action has been prompted by the activities of heavily armed gangs which have all but gripped the CARICOM nation entirely in recent times.

The US State Department issued a statement with regards to the situation in Haiti, in which it was said that reinforcements had been sent in the form of the US Marines and non-essential personnel will no longer be allowed to remain in Haiti due to the dangers it presents. To facilitate this action, helicopters were used, at the behest of the State Department itself.

The United States Southern Command issued the following statement, “This airlift of personnel into and out of the embassy is consistent with our standard practice for embassy security augmentation worldwide and no Haitians were on board the military aircraft.”

The situation remained tense as the airlifts continued while gang-orchestrated attacks broke out in multiple localities of Port-au-Prince, including metropolitan areas such as Tabarre, where the US Embassy is located.

The ground reality is that 80% of Port-au-Prince is now controlled by the gangs and their members continue to terrorize and loot their way onwards. Even though the United States Embassy remains open, in light of the attacks being conducted in its vicinity, it became essential to take preventive measures and secure the safe departure of additional personnel.

Haiti has been the point of focus recently for both CARICOM and the United Nations, as regional leaders and their international partners continue to worry for the French-speaking Caribbean nation which has been going through a period of political and financial turmoil for some time now.

Haiti is important to the Caribbean region as instability in the nation has a detrimental effect on the entire region’s economy and security. Internationally, the issues in Haiti have limited the prospects of overarching reforms which can make the Caribbean a more viable option for economic and cultural exchange.

Considering the current scenario though, Haiti is on the verge of becoming gang-controlled state, with its internationally accepted leader unable to make it back to his own nation. Thus, the hope for a stable and prosperous Haiti is still quite far from being realized.