US Military Evacuates Non-Essential Staff From Embassy in Haiti

(Bloomberg) -- The US military evacuated staff and added security at the US embassy in Haiti’s capital as the Caribbean nation is rocked by violent political unrest.

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The overnight actions, taken at the request of the State Department, will “allow our embassy mission operations to continue, and enable non-essential personnel to depart,” US Southern Command said in a statement on Sunday.

The situation in Haiti has deteriorated in recent days. Gangs over the weekend set the Interior Ministry ablaze overnight and attacked police stations and government offices in the capital of Port-au-Prince.

Read more: Haitian Gangs Torch Ministry as Political Violence Escalates

The violence over the past week has been aimed at toppling the government of Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who left Haiti on Feb. 25 and was mostly recently seen in Puerto Rico.

The airlift into and out of the embassy was called consistent with standard practice for shoring up embassy security, Southern Command said in its statement.

No Haitians were aboard the aircraft, it said.

The US embassy in Haiti remains focused on “accelerating a peaceful transition of power” in Haiti via “free and fair elections,” Southern Command said.

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