Haitian Gangs Shot United Nations Helicopter and United States Embassy Vehicles

By Jose Aguilar

On Monday of this week, Haitian gangs shot two vehicles of the United States (U.S.) Embassy in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince. After this attack, the State Department stated that there were no injuries and that they would evacuate two dozen employees. On Thursday, they shot at and hit a United Nations (U.N.) helicopter in midair, forcing it to land. The helicopter had departed from Port-au-Prince, and was being used by the World Food Program (WFP) to distribute aid to those displaced by gang violence. According to the U.N. International Organization for Migration (OIM), 10,000 people have been displaced in the last week, and 700,000 have been displaced in the capital due to gang violence.

The violence in Port-au-Prince has increased significantly, but it has also moved to areas outside the capital. The local and multinational forces are outnumbered by the coalition of gangs and individual gangs operating in the country. This creates greater challenges for local and international organizations that distribute aid to those displaced. U.S. and Haitian officials have stated that the multinational force lacks the human and financial resources needed for the magnitude of the problem.