Crisis in Haiti: Prime minister's whereabouts are unknown, Dominican Republic suspends flights between the two countries

The security crisis in Haiti is worsening. After an attack on a prison led to a mass escape of thousands of prisoners, the country has seemingly plunged into total anarchy while its prime minister remains absent. Ariel Henry, chief executive, is reportedly still in Kenya, where he traveled to close a security agreement in order to import police forces to maintain order.

Meanwhile, the Dominican Republic, the country that shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, announced that closed its airspace with Haiti and that all flights between the two countries on the island have been canceled, with the aim of stopping the possible spread of instability and widespread violence by street gangs. According to the U.N., criminal gang violence claimed the lives of more than 8,000 people in Haiti in 2023.

Airport assault

The decision by the Dominican Civil Aviation Board comes after an armed mob linked to Haitian criminal gangs attacked the airport in the capital of Port-au-Prince.

According to The Telegraph, a group of armed gang members broke the airport security fence and opened fire on the airport guards. The criminals were repelled, and state forces deployed reinforcements at the airport.

Demonstration against the government

Gangs are allegedly trying to prevent Prime Minister Henry from returning to the country. Since he left, the gangs have become emboldened and even called a demonstration against the government.

In this show of force, Jimmy "Barbecue" Chérizier, former police officer and leader of a criminal gang, actively participated in the protest and has been a prominent figure that criminals have rallied around.

15,000 displaced by violence

The state of emergency that the Haitian government invoked Sunday has not been enough to stop the violence that has taken to the streets. It is estimated that nearly 15,000 Haitians have been forced to leave their homes due to this wave of violence.

This data was provided Tuesday by United Nations spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric. Poverty and the serious humanitarian crisis have proliferated this gang violence. The situation, endemic in the country, worsened after the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021.