Haiti port shutdown amid gang violence disrupts key shipments
Access to the key goods delivery port in the capital of Haiti, Port-au-Prince, has been closed from the land side following attacks by armed gangs. The port operator, Caribbean Port Services (CPS), announced this decision on Thursday.
7:23 AM EDT, September 27, 2024
"CPS will close barriers to all land traffic from September 26 to 29," the company said in a statement. The decision aims to allow the military and police to secure the area.
This week, an official dealing with cargo transport informed Reuters that someone was shooting at the ships, making it impossible to unload containers. Authorities also reported the kidnapping of two Filipino crew members from a cargo ship at the port.
Increasingly tense situation
Haitian leaders, speaking this week at the UN General Assembly session, reported on the deepening security crisis in the country. They emphasized that the situation is worsening despite the arrival of police and military reinforcements as part of the UN international mission.
Powerful gangs, using weapons mostly smuggled from the United States and controlling about 50 square miles of Port-au-Prince, have allied with the country's capital and have started to extend their influence beyond the city. As a result of the criminals' actions, thousands of people have been killed, and over half a million have been forced to leave their homes.
