(Port-Au-Prince) Haiti’s main international airport reopened Monday for the first time nearly three months after relentless gang violence forced authorities to close it in early March.
The reopening of Toussaint-Louverture Airport in the capital, Port-au-Prince, is expected to help ease a serious shortage of medicines and other basic supplies as the country’s main seaport remains paralyzed.
However, only Sunrise Airways, a local carrier, currently operates flights to and from Port-au-Prince. U.S.-based airlines are not expected to begin doing so until late May or early June.
The first flight from the airport is Sunrise Airways to Miami.
PHOTO ODLEYN JOSEPH, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Only Sunrise Airways, a local carrier, currently operates flights to and from Port-au-Prince.
Before Monday’s reopening, the only operational airport in Haiti was the one in the northern coastal town of Cap-Haitien.
It was unreachable for many people seeking to flee the country since the roads leading from Port-au-Prince to Cap-Haitien are controlled by gangs who opened fire on passing cars and buses.
As a result, the U.S. government evacuated hundreds of citizens by helicopter from a hilly neighborhood of Port-au-Prince while powerful gangs besieged parts of the capital. Nonprofit organizations have taken similar actions.
The attacks began on February 29, when gunmen took control of police stations, opened fire on the Port-au-Prince airport and stormed Haiti’s two largest prisons, freeing more of 4000 prisoners.
Since then, gangs have directed their attacks on previously peaceful communities, leaving thousands homeless.
More than 2,500 people were killed or injured in Haiti from January to March, an increase of more than 50% compared to the same period last year, according to the United Nations.
The attack on the airport prevented former Prime Minister Ariel Henry from returning to Haiti while he was on an official trip to Kenya. He has since resigned and a transitional presidential council is seeking a new prime minister for the country. He is also responsible for selecting a new Cabinet and organizing general elections.
In recent weeks, U.S. military planes have landed at the Port-au-Prince airport with supplies, including medicine and hydration fluids, as well as civilian contractors to help Haiti prepare for the arrival of foreign forces, supposed to help quell the violence unleashed by gangs who control 80% of the capital.
On Sunday, Korir Sing’oei, Kenya’s principal foreign secretary, said a plan to deploy police officers from the East African country was in its final stages.
“I can tell you with certainty that this deployment will take place in the next few days or weeks,” he said. Mr. Sing’oei added that “there is no chance” that Kenyan President William Ruto would visit Haiti.
The president was due to leave Kenya on Sunday for a four-day official visit to the United States, where he is expected to meet President Joe Biden.
Other countries will follow the Kenyan forces, including the Bahamas, Barbados, Benin, Chad and Bangladesh. When these forces are expected to arrive is not immediately clear.