Haiti’s main international airport reopened on Monday for the first time in nearly three months after relentless gang violence forced authorities to shut it down to traffic in early March.
The reopening of Toussaint Louverture Airport in the capital Port-au-Prince is expected to help alleviate severe shortages of medicine and other basic supplies as the country’s main ports remain paralyzed.
Haiti rescue charter flight carrying Americans lands in Miami as gang violence escalates
However, for now, only local airline Sunrise Airlines flies to and from Port-au-Prince. U.S.-based airlines are not expected to begin such measures until late May or early June.
The first anticipated flight was on Sunrise Airlines to Miami, scheduled to depart at 2:30 p.m. EDT.
Before Monday’s reopening, Haiti’s only airport was in the north coast city of Cap-Haitien. But the roads from Port-au-Prince to Cap-Haitien were controlled by gangs who fired on passing cars and buses, making them inaccessible to many seeking to flee the country.
An Amerijet plane arrives at Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and prepares for landing on Monday, May 20, 2024. Haiti’s main international airport reopened on Monday for the first time in nearly three months after being forced by authorities due to gang violence. It is expected to close in early March. (AP Photo/Oderin Joseph)
As a result, the U.S. government, as well as nonprofit organizations, evacuated hundreds of citizens by helicopter from the hills of Port-au-Prince as powerful gangs laid siege to parts of the capital.
The attacks began on February 29, when armed groups took over police stations, opened fire on Port-au-Prince airport, and stormed Haiti’s two largest prisons, freeing more than 4,000 prisoners.
Since then, gangs have targeted previously peaceful communities, leaving thousands homeless.
More than 2,500 people were killed or injured in Haiti between January and March, according to the United Nations, an increase of more than 50% compared to the same period last year.
At the Couronne Bar near the gate, the only one open on Monday, 43-year-old manager Klaf Ja Rafael welcomed first-time customers, quickly offering them coffee, water and the occasional prestige beer they ordered. guaranteed to provide.
But her smile betrayed her fear. “We are scared because here they can still attack us,” she said. “We have to go in. That’s our job, but we’re scared.”
Rafael recalled how bullets ricocheted through the airport the day the airport was attacked, forcing the airport to close for nearly three months.
The airport provided them with one month’s wages, but she remained unemployed for the rest of the time, relying on friends and family. She longs to be with her 13-year-old son, who lives with her father in Florida.
Other employees, including those at the Immigration Bureau, were all smiles, happy to finally be back to work.
“That was a long holiday!” exclaimed one immigration officer with a laugh.
Dozens of people lined up at the Sunrise counter for hours before the afternoon flight, some taking selfies and others chatting contentedly.
“I’m very happy, but it hurts to be away from my husband and son,” Darling Antoine said, her eyes moist.
She received a visa that allows her to live in the United States, but the rest of her family is still waiting. They applied because gangs continued to invade their neighborhood. “There’s heavy gunfire every day,” she said. “Sometimes you have to hide under the bed.”
A man wearing all black except for a red jacket asked Antoine if he could take a photo as he posed with a slight smile on his face and a gold cross around his neck.
“I’m really happy,” said Jean Dubensky, 31, an accountant who lost her job because of the violence. “We’ve been suffering for a long time. We didn’t even have the privilege of flying.”
He was notified of his permission to stay in the United States in early April, but all he could do was wait. He will live with his aunt in Jacksonville, Florida, but he hopes to someday return to live in Haiti. “I believe in a new Haiti,” he said.
The attack on the airport resulted in former Prime Minister Ariel Henry being barred from Haiti as he was on an official visit to Kenya at the time. He has since resigned, and the Interim Presidential Council is searching for Haiti’s new prime minister. He is also tasked with selecting a new cabinet and holding general elections.
In recent weeks, U.S. military planes have been landing at Port-au-Prince airport carrying supplies such as medicine and hydration fluid, as well as civilian contractors preparing for the arrival of foreign troops expected to quell the gang violence that dominates Haiti. Businesses are also supporting. 80% of capital.
On Sunday, Kenya’s chief foreign affairs secretary Korir Shingoei said plans to deploy police officers from the East African country were in the final stages.
“I can say with certainty that deployment will take place in the coming days and weeks,” he said.
Shingoei added that there was “absolutely no chance” that Kenyan President William Ruto would visit Haiti.
Ruto is scheduled to leave Kenya on Sunday for a four-day official visit to the United States, where he is expected to meet with President Joe Biden.
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In March, Kenya and Haiti signed a deal to try to save the African country’s plan to send 1,000 police officers to the troubled Caribbean nation to support violence.
Other countries expected to support Kenyan troops include the Bahamas, Barbados, Benin, Chad and Bangladesh. It was not immediately clear when these troops would arrive.
