The U.S. military flew in Marines to reinforce its embassy in Haiti and evacuate non-essential personnel as heavily-armed gangs continue to challenge the country’s tenuous government and turn the country’s capital, Port-au-Prince, into a battlefield.
The middle-of-the-night operation was conducted via helicopter by the U.S. military at the request of the State Department for embassy security, the U.S. Southern Command, based in Doral, said in a statement.
“This airlift of personnel into and out of the embassy is consistent with our standard practice for embassy security augmentation worldwide, and no Haitians were on board the military aircraft,” the statement said.
Residents in the capital reported hearing an airplane flying overhead before the operation, and the sounds of a helicopter in the early hours Sunday morning.
A National Security Council official told McClatchy that President Joe Biden personally directed the military to carry out the mission.
“He has been briefed, receives updates from his team, and is deeply concerned about the situation in Haiti,” the official said.
The airlift comes amid ongoing gang attacks in multiple locations around metropolitan Port-au-Prince, including Tabarre, where the U.S. Embassy is located. Several nearby businesses have been looted and overtaken by armed gangs that today control more than 80% of the capital.
Since last Thursday, armed groups have led a coordinated attack, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry and targeting key Haitian government institutions. After taking control of several police stations, they targeted the main seaport before orchestrating a mass jail break at the two largest prisons. Thousands of inmates were freed by the gangs, including several notorious gang leaders.
The gangs have also launched attacks against the international and domestic airports. Heavy gunfire around the airports has led to the suspension of international flights into the country. Henry, who is under pressure by the United States and the Caribbean Community to resign, remains outside of the country in Puerto Rico, unable to return.
READ MORE: Rushing home on a rerouted jet, Haiti’s prime minister is pressured by U.S. to resign
In response to the attacks, Haiti recently imnposed a state of emergency and curfew for a month and deployed members of its fledgling army to assist the Haiti National Police. To help in the fight against gangs, the U.S. government recently provided the police with additional ammunition.
The U.S. Embassy has limited its operations as the violence has escalated.
“The U.S. Embassy in Haiti remains open,” the statement reads. “Heightened gang violence in the neighborhood near U.S. embassy compounds and near the airport led to the State Department’s decision to arrange for the departure of additional embassy personnel. All arriving and departing passengers work for the U.S. government.”
Biden has previously ruled out sending U.S. troops to directly engage in the crisis. But in October, after a yearlong campaign by the U.S., the United Nations approved a Multinational Security Support mission that would bring together reinforcements from around the world to help Haiti’s police. Henry was in Kenya signing a security-sharing agreement for the East African nation to lead the effort when the violence escalated.
Despite the agreement, the force’s deployment has been hobbled by a lack of money. Republican lawmakers in Congress are refusing to release a hold on funding, requested by the Biden administration, amid questions about the mission, while the international community has been slow to contribute to a U.N. trust fund set up to finance the operation.
Brian Nichols, assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs, told the Miami Herald that the administration remains committed to expediting the deployment of the Kenyan-led mission, and is closely monitoring the situation.
“It’s urgent,” he said of the funding needs. “Every day matters, every day the lives and welfare of ordinary Haitians. If you care about humanitarian issues around the world, there is no crisis that is worse than the situation in Haiti right now.”
READ MORE: White House warns Haiti force can’t deploy until Republicans release funds
The Southern Command said despite that the evacuations the embassy embassy remains focused on advancing U.S. government efforts to support the Haitian people, including mobilizing support for the police, expediting the security mission’s deployment and accelerating a peaceful transition of power through free and fair elections.
“As announced in September 2023, the Department of Defense is postured to provide robust enabling support for the MSS, including planning assistance, information sharing, airlift, communications, and medical support,” the Southern Command said.
This story was originally published March 10, 2024, 5:13 AM.
Jacqueline Charles has reported on Haiti and the English-speaking Caribbean for the Miami Herald for over a decade. A Pulitzer Prize finalist for her coverage of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, she was awarded a 2018 Maria Moors Cabot Prize — the most prestigious award for coverage of the Americas.
Michael Wilner is an award-winning journalist and McClatchy’s Chief Washington Correspondent. A member of the White House team since 2019, he led coverage of the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic. Wilner was previously Washington bureau chief for The Jerusalem Post. He holds degrees from Claremont McKenna College and Columbia University and is a native of New York City.