(Al Jazeera Media Network) The United States has ordered non-emergency government personnel to leave Haiti, as the Caribbean nation continues to reel under widespread gang violence, kidnappings, and political instability.
In a travel advisory issued late on Thursday, the U.S. State Department ordered the departure of non-emergency personnel and their family members, and said U.S. citizens in Haiti should leave “as soon as possible.”
“Kidnapping is widespread, and victims regularly include U.S. citizens,” the statement said, adding that violent crimes including armed robbery and carjackings are also common.
“Protests, demonstrations, tire burning, and roadblocks are frequent, unpredictable, and can turn violent. The U.S. government is extremely limited in its ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in Haiti,” it said.
Gang violence has surged in Haiti and the capital Port-au-Prince, particularly after the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise. And the country’s virtually non-existent government system has made stemming attacks more difficult.
The violence has impeded access to healthcare facilities, forced the closure of schools and clinics, and worsened already dire food insecurity by cutting residents of gang-controlled areas off from critical supplies.
