A Spirit Airlines passenger jet en route from Florida to Haiti was forced to divert to the Dominican Republic when a hail of gunfire hit the plane on approach to the airport in Port-au-Prince. A flight attendant was slightly injured.
This was the second incident of planes involving planes being fired upon. On Monday, a Jet Blue flight destined for New York City was hit by one bullet on takeoff.
Jet Blue has halted flights to and from Haiti until at least Dec. 2. Spirit Airlines said it was suspending flights "until at least Thursday."
Meanwhile, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration is considering a ban on domestic carriers' flights to Haiti. A decision is expected today.
Meanwhile, the political chaos in Haiti is getting worse. Haiti's Prime Minister Garry Conille, appointed last July, has been given the boot by the all-powerful, undemocratic ruling council. Conille is said to have fallen victim to a political power struggle, which isn't surprising given the number of factions vying for power.
Conille made the fatal mistake of calling for the resignations of three members of the transition council who are accused of corruption. The nine-member council was also upset because Conille traveled to the U.S. for the UN meeting without their permission.
The transitional council named Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, the owner of a chain of dry cleaners, as his replacement. His swearing-in was surreal. As police and gangs shot it out in the streets, well-dressed officials and security personnel were driven to the presidential palace for the ceremony in armored cars.
NPR:
In other parts of Haiti's capital, firefights between gangs and police broke out. Rounds of gunfire echoed through the streets as heavily armed officers ducking behind walls and civilians ran in terror. In other upper class areas, gangs set fire to homes. Schools closed as panic spread in a number of areas.
The turmoil comes a day after a council meant to reestablish democratic order in the Caribbean nation fired the interim prime minister Garry Conille, replacing him with businessman Alix Didier Fils-Aimé. The council has been marked by infighting and three members were recently accused of corruption.
Fils-Aimé made an emotional plea to stop the insanity.
“I have a special thought for all of the victims of the criminal acts of bandits who continue to sow sadness and mourning amid the population,” Fils-Aimé said. “Women, young girls have been raped and have no choice but to leave their homes.... We cannot close our eyes to the mothers and children who flee, leaving all they have built … and can’t even send their children to school today.”
The UN says that "between a third and a half of armed gang members are children under the age of 18," according to the Miami Herald. Virginia Gamba, a special U.N. representative, says that children are at the heart of the crisis in Haiti. The increase in sexual violence against children is especially alarming. Last year, there were 41 cases recorded of sexual violence against children, This year, the number is 400.
“Ms. Gamba urges all parties in Haiti to do everything they can to prevent grave violations against children,” Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, said. “She also calls on gangs to immediately release children from their ranks and hand them over to civilian child-protection groups.”
The agony of Haiti specifically affects the U.S. As much as some may wish the problem would just go away or bypass America, international law makes Haitian asylum seekers impossible to ignore. Currently, about 400,000 Haitians are in the U.S. as a result of Biden granting them Temporary Protected Status (TPS). Even if Donald Trump ended that status, they could stay in the U.S. until their asylum status was either accepted or rejected.
It's in our national interest to assist Haiti in restoring some semblance of order by supporting the Kenyan peacekeeping mission to the island. Otherwise, the migrant problem is only going to grow.
