Two major US airlines have canceled their flights between Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Port-au-Prince, Haiti, amid escalating violence in the capital and surrounding areas. JetBlue, however, continues to operate its direct flight from New York.
Neither airline has publicly stated the reasons for the suspension, but a recent UN report indicated that over 10,000 people have been displaced due to gang violence in the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince.
Haiti has been grappling with political, humanitarian, and security crises for years, worsened earlier this year by coordinated attacks from powerful armed gangs that led to the resignation of the country's unelected prime minister. A provisional government has since been established, and an international support mission led by Kenya has been initiated to bolster Haiti's police forces, although it has yet to reach its intended size.
The police have struggled to reclaim control from gangs over large areas of the capital as violence continues to surge. Waanja Kaaria, Director of the World Food Programme (WFP) for Haiti, stated in a press conference that “uncertainty in Haiti persists as increasing violence from armed groups and food insecurity plunge the nation into a crisis that requires urgent attention.”
According to a recent WFP report, approximately 5.4 million Haitians, nearly half of the population, are facing acute hunger.