The United States Embassy located in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, has chosen to close temporarily after officials reported "rapid gunfire" amid rising gang violence in the region.
The chaos in the region in the last few months has culminated in the United States encouraging non-essential personnel to leave the nation in July. Officials cited the alleged threat of kidnappers that could target the workers in Haiti.
Haiti US Embassy Temporarily Closes
In a statement in late July, the embassy said that because of the recent armed clashes between gangs and law enforcement personnel and the threat of violent crime and kidnapping, the Department of State recommended that American citizens prepare to leave Haiti as soon as possible via commercial means.
The situation comes after a nurse from New Hampshire and her daughter were reportedly kidnapped in the region amid the chaos and are still missing. In the first quarter of this year, gang violence in the region has risen by 28%, and the senior UN representative in Port-au-Prince earlier this year told the UN Security Council that last year, they saw an overall level of gang violence that had not been seen in decades, as per The Hill.
Officials noted that violence has resulted in at least 165,000 Haiti residents leaving their homes to seek temporary shelters. As many as 100,000 individuals were left without food as the nation is currently suffering from famine.
Last month, the United Nations World Food Program pulled out of the country due to what officials said were budgetary limits. The UN organization added that almost 5 million Haitians did not have enough food.
The United States also backed a United Nations plan last week for a multinational police force located in Haiti that Kenya would lead. This force would work to fight against gang violence in the region, particularly in Port-au-Prince.
Rising Gang Violence
On Monday, the situation culminated in rising tensions in the Haitian capital as thousands of protesters marched in the streets, calling out against the gang violence in the region. It is a situation that resulted in the death of a police officer last week, according to Reuters.
Law enforcement personnel reported that the chaos resulted in government vehicles being set ablaze as protesters faced off against police as they demanded protection and assistance. Eyewitnesses also said that authorities later used tear gas to disperse the crowd of demonstrators.
A young protester, identified only as James, said he was marching against the rise of gangs in the region, which has negatively impacted health care and security amid a growing number of kidnappings and homicides.
The embassy's closure announcement also told personnel they would be restricted to Embassy compounds until further notice. It added that travel between the compounds was temporarily prohibited, saying that some routes could have been impacted due to the violence.
The announcement also urged US nationals in Port-au-Prince to completely avoid the area around the diplomatic compound and any areas with demonstrations and large gatherings of people, said CBS News.
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