US closes embassy in Haiti after nearby shooting
The poorest country in Latin America and the Caribbean faces a wave of violence that left more than 3,000 dead in the first six months of the year, according to the U.N.
File image of the U.S. embassy in Haiti.
The State Department announced Monday that it closed its embassy in Haiti and confined employees inside the compound due to "heavy gunfire" near Port-au-Prince, the Caribbean country's capital.
It also recommended avoiding the area.
The poorest country in Latin America and the Caribbean is mired in a political crisis and a wave of violence perpetrated by armed groups, which an international security support mission led by Kenya is trying to put an end to.
At least 3,141 people were killed in the country between Jan. 1 and June 30, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights warned in July.
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