Haiti’s missing prime minister has been found, over 600 km away to the east, in the US territory of Puerto Rico. The BBC reports that Ariel Henry landed in San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico, from New Jersey in the US. The report said he was unable to land in his own country or in the Dominican Republican, which shares a border with Haiti, since it had shut its airspace.
In Haiti too, the airport in the capital Port-au-Prince had been shut after the acting prime minister declared a state of emergency on Sunday. According to the BBC, there were fears that if Henry returned, he would become a clear target for the gangs that are running riot on the island.
Al Jazeera reports estimated at least 200 gangs active in Haiti with no less than 23 operating in the capital. The report quoted UN officials as saying that the gangs controlled 60-80 per cent of the capital and enjoy a high degree of military capacity.
“This has largely been driven by the gang’s ability to acquire high-calibre weapons,” said a report by the Geneva-based Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime. The gangs have acquired a degree of financial independence through kidnappings for ransom. At least 1,500 kidnappings were reported last year and 3000 people were killed in gang violence.
A UN report last year said weapons smuggled in from the US include “.50-calibre sniper rifles, .308 rifles and even belt-fed machine guns.”
The easy availability of arms has fuelled the violence with the International Organization for Migration estimating that 15,000 people have fled the capital. Many of those displaced had been forced to move earlier, and were camping in schools, hospitals and public squares.
Although the UN had authorised a Multinational Security Support Mission in October last year, with five countries including Bangladesh, Benin and Chad agreeing to send troops, funding has been a problem. Until that is sorted out, it’s not clear when the troops will arrive.
