Haiti's main airport and capital frozen a day after a plane was shot by gangs

Описание: (12 Nov 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Port-au-Prince, Haiti - 12 November 2024
1. Toussaint Louverture International Airport and mountains in the background
2. Control tower
3. Exterior of the airport
4. Officers of the Hatiain National Police staff a checkpoint outside the airport
5. Various of police dog sniffing car
6. Officers questioning passenger, armored police truck drives by behind
7. Various of police questioning and inspecting drivers
STORYLINE:
Haiti's main airport remained closed Tuesday, a day after gangs shot a landing airplane and injured a flight attendant when violence erupted as the country swore in its new prime minister in a politically tumultuous transition.

Life in much of the capital was frozen after the wave of violence, which came to a head when gangs shot a Spirit Airlines airplane in Haiti’s capital Monday, forcing the airport to shut down.

A number of airlines suspended flights to Haiti through Thursday, but it was unclear how long closures could drag on.

On Tuesday, heavily armed police in armored cars outside the airport checked trucks used for public transportation passing by.

Schools were closed, as were banks and government offices.

The sounds of heavy gunfire still echoed through the streets — a reminder that despite political maneuvering by Haiti's elites and a strong push by the international community to restore peace, the country's toxic slate of gangs kept its firm hold on much of the Caribbean nation.

The United Nations estimates that gangs control 85% of the capital, Port-au-Prince.

A U.N.-backed mission led by Kenyan police to quell gang violence struggles with a lack of funding and personnel, prompting calls for a U.N. peacekeeping mission.

The violence comes after a transitional council, tasked with restoring democratic order to Haiti, which hasn't held elections since 2016, decided to fire the country's interim prime minister, Garry Conille, who often was at odds with the council during his six months in office.

Despite Conille declaring the move illegal, the council rapidly swore in businessman Alix Didier Fils-Aimé as the new interim prime minister.

Fils-Aimé promised to work with international partners to restore peace and hold long awaited elections, a vow also made by his predecessor.

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