The Growing Crisis in Haiti
Port-au-Prince's Toussaint Louverture International Airport has been closed to US airlines since Nov. 12, 2024. (Photo: Reuters/Ralph Tedy Erol)
On Nov. 12, 2024, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) barred US airlines from operating in Haiti for 30 days, a decision that stranded passengers worldwide and disrupted the flow of humanitarian aid into the nation. The ban was implemented after three commercial jetliners were struck by gunfire, including a Spirit Airlines flight attempting to land in Port-au-Prince that was forced to divert to the Dominican Republic.
On Nov. 21, 2024, the FAA updated its previous statement, saying that the bar on flights would remain in place until Dec. 12, 2024. However, general aviation pilots and American carriers were permitted to fly to six airports in Haiti. Additionally, American Airlines suspended its daily flights between Port-au-Prince and Miami until Feb. 12, 2025. The ban was prompted by an incident involving flight 819, which took off from Port-au-Prince and landed safely in Miami. A post-flight inspection revealed that a bullet had struck the plane’s exterior.
In September 2024, a few months before the FAA announcement, the US State Department updated its travel advisory for Haiti to “Level 4: Do Not Travel” due to “kidnapping, crime, civil unrest and limited health care.” The advisory noted that Haiti had been under a state of emergency since March 2024 and highlighted the rise in kidnappings. Additionally, the US government provides limited assistance to US citizens in Haiti, with US personnel subject to a nightly curfew and strict movement restrictions.
Haiti’s crisis has worsened over the years. In 2021, then-President Jovenel Moise was assassinated in his home. Following the assassination, the US interfered with Haiti’s political situation by supporting Ariel Henry as the next prime minister, despite widespread opposition from many Haitians. During Henry’s three-year tenure, gang-related kidnappings and killings surged. In response, the US proposed an international mission primarily composed of Kenyan police, to address the escalating violence.
In February 2024, while Ariel Henry was in Kenya, gangs in Haiti united and forced him out of office. Following Henry’s departure, Haiti's main airport closed, more civilians were killed, and additional neighborhoods were destroyed. In response, the US and Caribbean nations proposed a plan for a nine-member transitional presidential council to govern the country, naming former U.N. official Garry Conille as interim prime minister. However, the council fired Conille and replaced him with a businessman in early November. French President Emmanuel Macron criticized the council’s decision to dismiss Conille, reportedly referring to Haiti’s transitional presidential council as “total morons.” Macron’s remarks drew backlash due to France’s colonial history with Haiti.
Videos circulating on social media show people running through the streets with children and suitcases, desperate to escape the failing nation. In 2024 alone, the country has had 3 prime ministers, at least 4,000 people killed, and gangs now control roughly 85% of Port-au-Prince. Experts warn that gangs may soon enter upper-class neighborhoods housing diplomats, wealthy Haitians, and international humanitarian aid workers, potentially leaving the entire capital under the control of armed gangs.
Houses on the slopes of a Port-au-Prince neighborhood in May 2024. (Photo: AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
The Biden administration, which had advocated for a Kenyan police mission in Haiti, sought to convert it into an official U.N. peacekeeping force. This would require member nations to provide financial contributions and troops, alleviating the financial burden on Washington. However, on Nov. 20, 2024, at a U.N. Security Council meeting, Russia and China, both with veto power, opposed the proposal.
In November 2024, the aid group Doctors Without Borders announced it would suspend operations in Port-au-Prince due to escalating violence, stating that the suspension would remain in effect “until further notice.” Earlier in the month, one of the group’s ambulances was attacked, resulting in fatalities. Since then, police have stopped more of their vehicles and issued direct threats to their staff, including rape and death threats.
Also in November, Rolling Stone Films released a documentary titled “Haiti on Fire” that focuses on the country’s escalating gang violence. The film includes an interview with notorious gang leader Jimmy “Barbecue” Cherizier, who claims he does not run a gang but an armed group. Barbecue says that his goal is to end corruption within Haiti’s political system and make the nation safer. The documentary also highlights the devastating impact of gang violence. It recounts the story of a father who lost two sons to gunfire from Barbecue’s gangs. The children were on their way to school when one was shot in the head and the other in the heart. Both boys were taken to the hospital but died the same day. The film includes heartbreaking footage of their funeral. The grief-stricken father expressed despair for Haiti’s future, saying he would let his other three children leave the country if it gave them a chance to survive.
The father’s heartbreak underscores the grim reality in Haiti. With limited success in international intervention and ongoing political instability, the country seems to be on a path toward self-destruction. As gangs take over more neighborhoods, the death toll is expected to rise, and the crisis will likely worsen.