Gang violence in Haiti: Germany and US dismiss embassy staff from EU negotiations: explosive wording hidden in Federal Council mandate

Due to the escalated violence by criminal gangs in Haiti, the German ambassador and permanent representative have left the Caribbean country. A Foreign Office spokesperson told the German news agency that evening that they were leaving on Sunday with representatives of the EU delegation to neighboring Dominican Republic “due to the very tense security situation in Haiti.” “You will work from there until further notice.”

The Dominican newspaper “Listín Diario” reported that the German ambassador and eleven other people had been evacuated from Haiti in two helicopters. They were first flown to a Dominican Army landing site in the municipality of Jimaní and from there to Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic. The country shares the Caribbean island of Hispaniola with Haiti.

It was previously announced that the US military had evacuated some staff from the US embassy in Haiti this weekend and had tightened security measures there. As Southcom Regional Command announced on Sunday, non-essential workers have been flown out at the request of the US Department of State.

In late February, violence escalated in Haiti, where gangs already controlled about 80 percent of the capital Port-au-Prince, according to the UN. The two most powerful gangs had joined forces against the government. Their leader, ex-police officer Jimmy Chérizier, alias ‘Barbecue’, threatened civil war if interim Prime Minister Ariel Henry did not resign. Henry was traveling abroad and apparently did not return due to the security situation.

The gangs attacked police stations, government buildings and airports, among other things – all flights to and from Haiti have been canceled for days. They also freed more than 4,500 prisoners from two prisons. The violence paralyzed large parts of the poor Caribbean country and worsened the already precarious humanitarian situation. (sda/dpa)