US bans airlines from flying to Haiti after planes shot down by gangs

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — The Federal Aviation Administration banned U.S. airlines from flying to Haiti for 30 days after gangs shot down three planes, and the United Nations temporarily suspended flights to Port-au-Prince on Tuesday, limiting humanitarian aid to the country .

Bullets hit a Spirit Airlines plane about to land in the 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 and American Airlines announced that post-flight investigations determined their planes were also shot down while leaving Port-au-Prince on Monday. America suspended flights to the capital until February 12.

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, is likely to be devastating as gangs choke life in the capital, pushing Haiti to the brink of famine. Dujarric warned that cutting 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 allow 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-backed mission led by Kenyan police to quell gang violence struggles due to lack of funding and personnel has led to calls for a 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 on the international stage. The perpetrators of these heinous acts will be caught and brought to justice,” the council said in a statement.

The council faced harsh criticism from many in Haiti; The council claimed political infighting and allegations of corruption against three members had caused political instability and enabled mobs to seize power through violence similar to that seen on Monday.

This came to a head at the weekend when former interim Prime Minister Garry Conille, who had long been at loggerheads with the council, was fired. 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 mission. At this critical moment, unity and solidarity are essential for our country. 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 my family’s livelihood.”

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. way to hold elections 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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