US warns of heavy gunfire near its embassy in Haiti
Residents in the Haitian capital confirmed to AFP that heavy exchanges of gunfire broke out between armed gangs and police forces in the vicinity of the embassy.
The United States on Monday issued a security alert following intense gunfire near its embassy in Haiti, as the Caribbean nation continues to grapple with a surge in gang-related violence and political instability.
In a statement posted on X, the US State Department warned of “heavy gunfire in the Tabarre area near the US Embassy,” and ordered all government personnel to halt official travel beyond the diplomatic compound.
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“All official movement outside the embassy has been paused,” the department said, urging both staff and the public to steer clear of the Tabarre neighbourhood, located in Port-au-Prince near the international airport.
Residents in the Haitian capital confirmed to AFP that heavy exchanges of gunfire broke out between armed gangs and police forces in the vicinity of the embassy.
Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, has seen vast areas fall under the control of rival armed groups, who are accused of widespread killings, sexual violence, and kidnappings.
According to data released last month by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, at least 3,141 people were killed in the first half of this year alone due to gang-related violence.
Amid deepening political unrest, Haitian police on Monday announced the arrest of a former senator accused of conspiring against the state and financing criminal organisations.
Nenel Cassy was arrested on Saturday while he was at a restaurant in Petionville, a wealthy district of the capital, Port-au Prince, Haiti's National Police said in a post published on Facebook.
The police shared photos of the former senator in handcuffs, next to heavily armed officers wearing ski masks.
Cassy, who was designated a corrupt actor by the US State Department in 2023, was previously accused by Haitian police in February of supporting gang members responsible for violent attacks in Kenscoff—a typically peaceful, upscale area located about 10 kilometres outside Port-au-Prince.
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