Port-au-Prince: With Haiti's capital spiraling deeper into gang violence, the United States said Sunday it has airlifted non-essential American staff from its embassy in Port-au-Prince and brought in additional personnel to boost security at the compound.
Beleaguered residents were scrambling for safety following the latest spasm of unrest, with a UN group warning of a "city under siege" after armed attackers targeted the presidential palace and police headquarters.
Criminal groups, which already control much of Port-au-Prince as well as roads leading to the rest of the country, have unleashed havoc in recent days as they try to oust Prime Minister Ariel Henry as leader of the Western Hemisphere's poorest country.
On Saturday, dozens of residents sought safety in public buildings, with some successfully breaking into one facility, according to an AFP correspondent.
The US military said early Sunday it had "conducted an operation to augment the security of the US Embassy at Port-au-Prince, allow our Embassy mission operations to continue, and enable non-essential personnel to depart."
"This airlift of personnel into and out of the Embassy is consistent with our standard practice for Embassy security augmentation," the statement from the military's US Southern Command added.
The pre-dawn operation was apparently conducted by helicopter flights to and from the airport; an AFP correspondent and nearby residents heard the distinct sounds of chopper blades overhead.
A State Department spokesperson said the embassy "remains open, on limited operations" with reduced personnel.
"Heightened gang violence in the neighborhood near US embassy compounds and near the airport led to the State Department's decision to arrange for the departure of additional embassy personnel," the spokesperson added, noting all passengers "work for the US government."
'Living in fear'
CARICOM, an alliance of Caribbean nations, has summoned envoys from the United States, France, Canada and the United Nations to a meeting Monday in Jamaica to discuss the violence and ways to provide assistance to Haiti.
With dysfunction growing, bodies have been seen lying in Port-au-Prince streets.
The unrest has internally displaced 362,000 Haitians, the International Organization for Migration said Saturday.
"Haitians are unable to lead a decent life. They are living in fear, and every day, every hour this situation carries on, the trauma gets worse," Philippe Branchat, IOM's chief in Haiti, said in a statement.
"The capital is surrounded by armed groups and danger," he said. "It is a city under siege."
Police late Friday repelled gang attacks, including on the presidential palace, and several "bandits" were killed, Lionel Lazarre of the Haitian police union said.
Gunshots rang out late Friday throughout Port-au-Prince and witnesses recounted clashes "between police officers and bandits" as gangs apparently tried to commandeer police stations.
Lazarre pleaded Saturday for "means and equipment" to protect key facilities.
The well-armed gangs recently have attacked critical infrastructure, including two prisons, allowing most of their 3,800 inmates to escape.
Along with some ordinary Haitians, the gangs are seeking the resignation of Prime Minister Henry, who was due to leave office in February but instead agreed to a power-sharing deal with the opposition until new elections are held.
华盛顿要求亨利实施紧急的政治改革。暴力爆发时他正在肯尼亚，据报道他现在被困在美国领土波多黎各。
今年10月，联合国安理会对由肯尼亚领导的多国维和行动开了绿灯，但这一部署被肯尼亚法院搁置。
美国国务院发言人马修·米勒周六表示，美国国务卿安东尼·布林肯最近与肯尼亚总统威廉·鲁托进行了交谈，“他们强调了在海地部署多国安全支持任务的坚定承诺”。
无家可归和“逃亡”
太子港和海地西部处于长达一个月的紧急状态，夜间宵禁一直持续到周一，不过，过度紧张的警察不太可能执行宵禁。
在太子港，Filienne Setoute告诉法新社，她在社会事务和劳动部工作了20多年。
她说，这份工作意味着她“能够建造自己的房子”。“但现在我在这里，无家可归。我在不知道该去哪里的情况下逃跑，这是一种虐待。”
海地机场仍然关闭，而主要港口——食品进口的关键地点——报告说，自周四暂停服务以来，发生了抢劫。
非政府组织美慈警告说:“如果我们不能进入这些集装箱，海地很快就会挨饿。”
一个天主教教区周日表示，上个月在太子港被绑架的四名传教士和一名助手获释，这是一个充满希望的迹象。在太子港，绑架已经司空见惯。
