Royal Caribbean announced Thursday that it will no longer dock its cruise ships at its private beach in Labadee, Haiti “out of an abundance of caution” as the country struggles with widespread gang violence and political instability.
“Given the developments in the situation in Haiti, and out of an abundance of caution, we are temporarily suspending the entire fleet’s visit to Labadi,” Deputy Vice President Aurora Yera Rodríguez said in a statement. stated in a statement. “We will continue to monitor and assess the situation with our global security and intelligence team.”
The stoppage will continue for at least the next week and will continue periodically thereafter. CEO Michael Bailey said:.
In its decision, the company cited a warning from the U.S. government, which last week called on all Americans in Haiti to leave the country. The U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince also evacuated non-essential personnel and sent Marines to protect the facility.
Haiti has seen a spike in gang violence late last month after Prime Minister Ariel Henry left for Kenya to secure UN-backed multinational security forces and organized gangs attacked thousands of prisoners. The country remains politically unstable. According to the United Nations, roaming gangs control about 80% of Port-au-Prince.
Henry, unable to return to Haiti because of the violence and airport closures, said he was resigning in favor of a U.S.-backed transitional government council plan that has come under criticism from some Haitian political leaders.
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