US bans airlines from flying to Haiti and UN suspends flights after 2 planes were shot down by gangs

The Federal Aviation Administration announced Tuesday that it will ban U.S. airlines from flying to Haiti for 30 days in the wake of the gangs. two planes hit and the United Nations will temporarily suspend flights to Port-au-Prince, limiting humanitarian aid coming into the country.

Bullets hit a Spirit Airlines plane about to land in the nation’s capital on Monday, injuring a flight attendant and forcing the airport to close. Photos and videos obtained by The Associated Press show bullet holes in the interior of a plane. On Tuesday, JetBlue announced that one of its planes was also shot down while leaving Port-au-Prince on Monday.

The shootings were part of a wave of violence that emerged as the country, plagued by gang violence, swore in a new prime minister after a politically turbulent period.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the agency documented 20 armed clashes and more roadblocks affecting the humanitarian operation during Monday’s violence. Port-au-Prince airport will remain closed until November 18, and Dujarric said the UN would divert flights to the country’s second airport in the north, in the more peaceful city of Cap Haïtien.

Cutting off access to Port-au-Prince, the epicenter of the violence, would likely be devastating as gangs stifle life in the capital. Brought Haiti to the brink of famine. Dujarric warned that cutting off flights would mean “limiting the flow of humanitarian aid and humanitarian personnel into the country.”

While the 20-truck convoy carrying food and medical supplies in the south was postponed, the operation providing cash aid to a thousand people in the Carrefour region, where violence took place, also had to be cancelled.

“We are doing our best to ensure the continuation of our operations in this challenging environment,” he said. “We call for an end to the escalating violence to ensure safe, continuous and unimpeded humanitarian access.”

On Tuesday, life in much of Haiti’s capital was frozen following a wave of violence. Heavily armed police checked passing public transport vehicles with armored vehicles outside the airport.

Schools were also closed, as were banks and government offices. The streets were eerily empty the day before as gangs and police were locked in a violent conflict; Very few people were passing by, except for a motorcycle with a man shot in the back.

In the afternoon heavy gunfire still echoed through the streets; It was a reminder that despite political maneuvering by Haiti’s elites and strong pressure from the international community to restore peace, the country’s list of toxic gangs maintains a tight grip on much of the Caribbean. people.

The United Nations estimates that gangs control 85% of the capital, Port-au-Prince. A UN-supported mission Led by Kenyan police Suppressing gang violence struggles due to lack of funding and personnel, leading to calls For the UN peacekeeping mission.

Luis Abinader, President of the Dominican Republic, which shares a border with Haiti, became the first leader to condemn the violence on the island, calling the attack an “act of terrorism.”

On Tuesday, a transitional council established in April to restore democratic order in Haiti also condemned the violence.

“This cowardly crime, which threatens the sovereignty and security of Haiti, aims to isolate our country internationally. In its statement, the Council stated that the perpetrators of these disgusting acts will be caught and brought to justice.

The council is aware of political conflicts in Haiti and Corruption allegations against three members It created political instability and allowed gangs to seize power through violence like the one seen on Monday.

This came to a head over the weekend when he was fired earlier. interim Prime Minister Garry Conille – has long had a falling out with the council. They replaced him with businessman Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, who took office on Monday; While he was surrounded by suit-clad officials and diplomats, gangs were terrorizing the capital.

Neither Fils-Aimé nor Conille commented on the wave of violence.

Conille initially called the council’s move illegal, but acknowledged Fils-Aimé’s appointment in a post on social media platform X on Tuesday.

“(I) wish him success in fulfilling this duty. Unity and solidarity are of great importance for our country in this critical period. Long live Haiti!” he wrote. Fils-Aimé promised to work with international partners to restore peace and organize long-awaited elections; His predecessor also made this promise.

But many Haitians like 43-year-old Martha Jean-Pierre have little taste for political conflict, and experts say that gives gangs more freedom to continue expanding their control.

Jean-Pierre was among those who took to the streets of Port-au-Prince on Tuesday to sell the bananas, carrots, cabbage and potatoes he carried in a basket on his head. He said he had no choice, the only way he could feed his children was by selling.

“What good is a new prime minister if there is no security, if I cannot move freely and sell my goods?” he said, pointing to the vegetable basket. “This is my bank account. This is what my family depends on.”

This was a disappointment that worried international actors such as the UN and the United States, who were pushing for a peaceful solution in Haiti.

On Tuesday, the US State Department complained that Conille and the council had “failed to move forward constructively” and called on Fils-Aimé and the council to present a clear action plan outlining a common vision of how to reduce violence and reduce violence. The way elections are held to “prevent further stalemate”.

“The immediate and urgent needs of the Haitian people compel the transitional government to prioritize governance over the competing personal interests of political actors,” he wrote in a statement.

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