U.S. begins evacuating its citizens by helicopter out of gang-torn Port-au-Prince
The Biden administration began evacuating U.S. citizens out of Port-au-Prince by helicopter on Thursday, launching a program that will allow Americans stuck in the Haitian capital to escape from gang violence engulfing the city.
The first flight carried 15 U.S. citizens, a State Department official said, noting that the government hopes to be able to transport up to 30 Americans out of the capital per day in helicopter flights to Santo Domingo in the neighboring Dominican Republic.
“We will continue to monitor demand from U.S. citizens for assistance in departing Haiti on a real-time basis,” the official said. “The overall security situation, availability and reliability of commercial transportation, and U.S. citizen demand will all influence the duration of this departure assistance.”
Since Monday, the violence by armed groups has escalated, spreading to wealthier neighborhoods of the capital. On Wednesday, residents in some neighborhoods once more woke up to bullet-riddled bodies lying openly in their streets. With the wealthy suburb of Petion-Ville once more under heavy gunfire, banks, schools and public and private businesses were forced to close.
In a communique, the U.S. Embassy said it is coordinating assisted departure flights of U.S. citizens from Haiti through non-commercial means and only U.S. citizens with proper identification will be permitted to board the flights. Those in need of assistance are asked to fill out a crisis intake form at https://mytravel.state.gov/s/crisis-intake
The embassy’s announcement did not say where the helicopter flights were being conducted from. But there were multiple helicopter evacuations during the day on Wednesday. Sources said passengers had to travel through gang-controlled territory to a landing zone not far from the U.S. Embassy, which is in the crosshairs of three violent gangs.
With armed groups continuing to target key government installations, helicopters to the Dominican Republic have become —for now —the only way out of Haiti’s capital. However, several sources have told the Miami Herald that the neighboring country is not allowing anyone with a Haitian passport to board the choppers. This has left legal U.S. residents — those with green cards — with little to no option to be evacuated.
The United Nations, which has been using an air bridge with the Dominican Republic to move staff and bring in humanitarian supplies, said on Wednesday that colleagues say they have been able to bring in by air more than 1,700 pounds of medicine, including blood and other medical supplies, in addition to humanitarian staff.
“These supplies have been critical for the health response by U.N. agencies and [non-governmental organizations] with health facilities being severely affected by the violence,” Florencia Soto Nino, associate spokesperson for U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, told reporters in New York. “This has also allowed humanitarian organizations to have sufficient staff in the country to continue to deliver aid.”
The State Department’s deputy spokesperson, Vedant Patel, told reporters on Wednesday the government expects “these helicopter movements to make multiple trips in order to try and get as many American citizens as we can,” while future flights will be contingent on the security situation.
“Of course the situation on the ground is one of the biggest factors into determining the frequency at which we can do this and what other options might be available to American citizens, including potential commercial options,” Patel said.
A previous version of this article said U.N. spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric addressed the press. It was Florencia Soto Nino, the associate spokesperson. This article has been updated to reflect that.
