Haiti

Dozens dead as Hurricane Melissa wreaks havoc across Cuba and Jamaica

Hurricane Melissa left dozens dead and widespread destruction across Cuba, Haiti and Jamaica, where roofless homes, toppled utility poles and water-logged furniture dominated the landscape Wednesday. A landslide blocked the main roads of Santa Cruz in Jamaica's St. Elizabeth parish, where the streets were reduced to mud pits. Residents swept water from homes as they tried to salvage belongings. Wind ripped off part of the roof at a high school that serves as a public shelter. I never see anything like this before in all my years living here, resident Jennifer Small said. Melissa made landfall Tuesday in Jamaica as a catastrophic Category 5 storm with top winds of 185 mph (295 kph), one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record, before weakening and moving on to Cuba, but even countries outside the direct path of the massive storm felt its devastating effects. At least 40 people have died across Haiti, Steven Aristil with Haiti's Civil Protection Agency told The Associated Pres

Caribbean nations brace for Hurricane Melissa as it upgrades to category 4

As per NYT, Southwest Haiti and portions of Jamaica were bracing for catastrophic flash flooding and landslides from the intense and fast-developing hurricane, which has already killed four people

Judge blocks Trump admin from ending protections for Haitians, Venezuelans

A federal judge on Friday ruled against the Trump administration from ending temporary legal protections that have granted more than 1 million people from Haiti and Venezuela the right to live and work in the United States. The ruling by US District Judge Edward Chen of San Francisco for the plaintiffs means 600,000 Venezuelans whose temporary protections expired in April or whose protections were about to expire September 10 have status to stay and work in the United States. Chen said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's actions in terminating and vacating three extensions granted by the previous administration exceeded her statutory authority and were arbitrary and capricious. Temporary Protected Status is a designation that can be granted by the Homeland Security secretary to people in the United States, if conditions in their homelands are deemed unsafe for return due to a natural disaster, political instability or other dangerous conditions. The Department of Homeland ...

NYC judge blocks Trump admin from ending legal status for many Haitians

A federal judge in New York on Tuesday blocked the Trump administration from ending temporary legal status for more than 500,000 Haitians who are already in the United States. District Court Judge Brian M Cogan in New York ruled that moving up the expiration of the temporary protected status, or TPS, by at least five months for Haitians, some of whom have lived in the US for more than a decade, is unlawful. The Biden administration had extended Haiti's TPS status through at least Feb 3, 2026, due to gang violence, political unrest, a major earthquake in 2021 and several other factors, according to court documents. But last week, the Department of Homeland Security announced it was terminating those legal protections as soon as Sep 2, setting Haitians up for potential deportation. The department said the conditions in the country had improved and Haitians no longer met the conditions for the temporary legal protections. The ruling comes as President Donald Trump works to end ...

US labels Haitian gangs as terror groups as experts warn of impact on aid

The US on Friday officially designated a powerful gang coalition in Haiti as a foreign terrorist organisation, raising concerns the move could deepen the country's humanitarian crisis at a critical time. The Viv Ansanm coalition, which means Living Together, joins a list of eight Latin American criminal organisations under that category. Gran Grif, the biggest gang to operate in Haiti's central Artibonite region, also was added to the list, as reported by The Associated Press on Tuesday. The age of impunity for those supporting violence in Haiti is over, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement Friday. The US Department of State warned that persons, including American citizens, that engage in certain transactions or activities with these entities, or these individuals may expose themselves to sanctions risk. But it's nearly impossible for aid groups and others to avoid dealing with gangs in Haiti. The Viv Ansanm coalition controls at least 85 per cent of the capital,

Trump admin plans to label Haitian gangs as foreign terror organisations

The Trump administration has told Congress that it intends to designate Haitian gangs as foreign terrorist organisations, according to people familiar with the notification. The State Department had similarly labeled eight Latin American crime organisations as it ratcheted up pressure on cartels operating in the US and anyone assisting them, and the new move indicates that the administration plans to put similar pressure on gangs from Haiti. The designation carries with it sanctions and penalties for anyone providing material support for the group. It comes after a series of steps against the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, which was designated a foreign terror organisation and then dubbed an invading force under an 18th-century wartime law to justify the deportation of Venezuelan migrants to a notorious El Salvador prison under President Donald Trump's sweeping immigration crackdown. According to the notification sent to congressional committees on April 23, the Trump administratio

Child recruitment by gangs in Haiti rises by 70% in past year: Unicef

Gangs in Haiti are recruiting children at unprecedented levels, with the number of minors targeted soaring by 70 per cent in the past year, according to a report released Monday by UNICEF. Currently, between 30 per cent to 50 per cent of all gang members in the violence-wracked country are children, according to the UN. This is a very concerning trend, said Geeta Narayan, UNICEF's representative in Haiti. The increase comes as poverty deepens and violence increases amid political instability, with gangs that control 85 per cent of Port-au-Prince attacking once peaceful communities in a push to assume total control of the capital. Young boys are often used as informers because they're invisible and not seen as a threat, Narayan said in a phone interview from Haiti. Some are given weapons and forced to participate in attacks. Girls, meanwhile, are forced to cook, clean and even used as so-called wives for gang members. They're not doing this voluntarily, Narayan said. Even when the

US prohibits airlines from flying to Haiti, UN temporarily suspends flights

The Federal Aviation Administration announced Tuesday that it will prohibit US airlines from flying to Haiti for 30 days after gangs shot two planes and the United Nations will temporarily suspend flights to Port-au-Prince, limiting humanitarian aid coming into the country. Bullets hit the Spirit Airlines plane when it was about to land Monday in the country's capital, injuring a flight attendant and forcing the airport to shut down. Photos and videos obtained by The Associated Press show bullet holes dotting the interior of a plane. On Tuesday, JetBlue announced that its plane had also been shot while departing Port-au-Prince on Monday. The shootings were part of a wave of violence that erupted as the country plagued by gang violence swore in its new prime minister after a politically tumultuous process. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the agency documented 20 armed clashes and more roadblocks affecting humanitarian operation during the violence Monday. The Port-au-Prince airpo

Haiti shuts main airport as gang violence escalates; new PM sworn in

Haiti's international airport shut down on Monday after gangs opened fire at a commercial flight landing in Port-Au-Prince, prompting some airlines to temporarily suspend operations as the country swore in a new interim prime minister who promised to restore peace. The Spirit Airlines flight headed from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Port-Au-Prince was just hundreds of feet from landing in Haiti's capital when gangs shot at the plane striking a flight attendant, who suffered minor injuries, according to the airline, the U.S Embassy and flight tracking data. The flight was diverted and landed in the Dominican Republic. Photos and videos obtained by The Associated Press show bullet holes dotting the interior of a plane. The shooting appeared to be part of what the U.S Embassy called gang-led efforts to block travel to and from Port-au-Prince which may include armed violence, and disruptions to roads, ports, and airports. Spirit, JetBlue and American Airlines said Monday they were ...

Gangs in Haiti open fire, hit UN helicopter mid-air as violence rises

Gangs on Thursday opened fire and hit a UN helicopter as it prepared to land in Port-au-Prince, marking the latest attack in Haiti's capital as violence surges once again. No one was injured as several rounds of gunfire hit the helicopter that was carrying three crew members and 15 passengers, according to a UN source who was not authorised to confirm the incident. The helicopter landed safely. The attack comes five months after Haiti's main international airport reopened following coordinated gang attacks that forced it to close for nearly three months. The violence has spilled to nearby areas including Arcahaie, where some 50 suspected gang members died this week after attacking the coastal town located just northwest of the capital. Among the dead are at least a dozen gunmen who drowned after their boat capsized, a government official said Thursday. While the majority were killed by police, a group of gunmen drowned on Wednesday after their boat hit the reef as they ferried ...

Haitians in Ohio find solidarity at church after false pet-eating claims

For many Haitian immigrants, Sunday mornings in Springfield, Ohio, are spent joyfully worshipping God as they sing and pray in their native Creole. This Sunday, they needed that uplifting balm more than ever. Their community is reeling confused, frustrated, hurt from false accusations that they are eating their neighbour's cats and dogs. The now viral and highly politicised rumours are being fuelled by former president Donald Trump, his running mate JD Vance and others, and violent threats against the community are upending daily life in their city. Jesus is with us in truth, and the truth is that Haitians are not eating pets and geese in Springfield, said the Rev. Carl Ruby, preaching at Central Christian Church. He invited community members to join his congregation in prayer and peaceful protest of the false rumours levelled against their Haitian neighbours. They also demanded an apology. It is truth that a retraction of these rumours will help to restore peace in Springfield,"

Trump falsely accuses immigrants in Ohio of eating pets in prez debate

Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday amplified false rumors that Haitian immigrants in Ohio were abducting and eating pets, repeating during a televised debate the type of inflammatory and anti-immigrant rhetoric he has promoted throughout his campaigns. There is no evidence that Haitian immigrants in an Ohio community are doing that, officials say. But during the debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump specifically mentioned Springfield, Ohio, the town at the center of the claims, saying that immigrants were taking over the city. They're eating the dogs. They're eating the cats. They're eating the pets of the people that live there, he said. Harris called Trump extreme and laughed after his comment. Debate moderators pointed out that city officials have said the claims are not true. Trump's comments echoed claims made by his campaign, including his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, and other Republicans. The claims attracted attention this week when Vance posted on soc

As Haiti's army eyes recruits to fight gangs, youths jump at job offer

The announcement that Haiti's military wanted recruits crackled through a small radio perched on a street stall in downtown Port-au-Prince where Maurenceley Clerge repairs and sells smartphones. It was early morning, and the 21-year-old paused, eager to hear the details. He envisioned earning enough to afford his own food and rent. Two weeks later, he completed the required paperwork and stood in line with hundreds of other Haitians under a brutal sun for the chance to join up. It's the moment I have been waiting for, said Clerge, who stays with a friend who also provides him with food. I want to serve as a citizen of this country and also to move up and upgrade my life. Thousands of young Haitians are jumping at the chance to become soldiers as widespread gang violence creates a rare job opportunity in a deeply impoverished country where work is scarce. Brushing aside the possibility they could be kidnapped, tortured or killed, Haiti's youngest generation is answering the call of a

Kenyan cops crucial to controlling gangs, early days are positive: Haiti PM

Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille told the UN Security Council on Wednesday that recently deployed Kenyan police will be crucial to helping control the country's gangs and moving toward democratic elections and he called feedback from their initial days in the capital "extremely, extremely positive". He said his government will focus on addressing gang violence and food insecurity, ensuring free elections through constitutional and political reform, and rebuilding public trust in the police. On June 25, the initial contingent of 200 Kenyan police arrived in Port-au-Prince. Kenya has pledged 1,000 police to the international police force and Conille said the next contingent will be arriving very soon. They will later be joined by police from the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Benin, Chad and Jamaica in the force that will total 2,500 personnel. Haiti asked for an international force to combat gangs in 2022, and UN Secretary-General Antnio Guterres appealed for months for a countr

Haiti's gang violence has displaced 300,000 children since March: UN

Gang violence in Haiti has displaced more than 300,000 children since March, the UN children's agency said Tuesday as the Caribbean country struggles to curb killings and kidnappings. Children are more than half of the nearly 580,000 people who have become homeless in the last four months. The spike in violence began in late February after a series of coordinated attacks on key government infrastructure eventually led Prime Minister Ariel Henry to resign in April. The humanitarian catastrophe unfolding before our eyes is taking a devastating toll on children, Catherine Russell, UNICEF's executive director, said in a statement. Displaced children are in desperate need of a safe and protective environment, and increased support and funding from the international community. Gangs now control at least 80 per cent of the capital Port-au-Prince and the key roads leading in and out of it, with more than 2,500 people killed or injured across the country in the first three months of the year

Gang violence in Haiti displaces nearly 580,000 people, shows UN report

Surging violence in Haiti from clashes with armed gangs since March has displaced nearly 5,80,000 people, according to a new report from the UN migration agency, a sobering figure that underscores the magnitude of the Caribbean nation's crisis. Haiti has long faced unrest but at the end of February, gangs unleashed coordinated attacks with gunmen taking control of police stations, opening fire on the main international airport that remained closed for nearly three months and stormed Haiti's two biggest prisons. A report released on Tuesday by the International Organisation for Migration said the displacement of more than half a million is mainly due to people fleeing the capital of Port-au-Prince for other provinces, which lack the resources to support them. In March, the agency reported more than 3,62,000 internally displaced people in Haiti. Since then, the violence has more than doubled the number of internally displaced in the southern region already ravaged by a 2021 earthquak

Sudan, Congo, Haiti top UN envoy's concerns for children in conflicts

The United Nations envoy charged with reporting on violations against children in conflicts around the world said that first and foremost she is worried about what's happening to youngsters in war-torn Sudan, followed by Congo and Haiti. Virginia Gamba told a news conference officially launching the secretary-general's annual report and UN blacklist of violators that she is also very worried about children caught in Myanmar's civil war and the spillover into neighbouring Bangladesh. For the future, on the horizon, she said, I'm worried about Somalia and Afghanistan. The report for the first time put both Israeli forces and Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants on the blacklist for violating children's rights in 2023 during Hamas' October 7 surprise invasion of southern Israel and its massive military retaliation in Gaza that is ongoing. The UN also kept the Russian armed forces and affiliated armed groups on the blacklist for a second year over their killing and maiming of

Haiti's new PM Conille discharged after spending night in hospital

Haiti's newly selected Prime Minister Garry Conille was discharged from a hospital on Sunday after spending a night in treatment for an undisclosed condition. In a video published on YouTube, Conille said he is now feeling well and is ready to continue to help steer the country out of its current security crisis by forming a government that will also prioritize issues like health care. "The whole time I was at the hospital, I was thinking of something, Conille said in Sunday's video. People that need to go to the general hospital can't get there due to security problems. People who need health care can't afford it. Conille arrived in Haiti on June 1 after a transitional council selected him as the nation's new prime minister. He had been working outside the country as UNICEF's regional director for Latin America. Gang violence is still surging in parts of Haiti's capital and beyond as Conille takes over the helm of the troubled Caribbean country awaiting the UN backed deployment of

Haiti PM hospitalised days after being selected to lead nation: Official

Haiti's newly selected prime minister, Garry Conille, was hospitalised late Saturday in the capital of Port-au-Prince just days after arriving in the country, an official told The Associated Press. It wasn't immediately known why Conille was hospitalised. Louis Grald Gilles, a member of the transitional presidential council that recently chose Conille as leader of the troubled Caribbean country, said he was en route to the hospital and did not have further information. A spokesman for Conille did not immediately return a message for comment. AP journalists observed high-ranking officials entering the hospital, including Frantz Elb, director of Haiti's National Police. Also present was Bruno Maes, UNICEF's representative in Haiti. They both declined comment. A handful of curious onlookers gathered outside the hospital as authorities blocked the street with tinted-glass SUVs. Conille was chosen as prime minister May 28 after a convoluted selection process. He faces an arduous task

'Operation Indravati' to evacuate stranded Indians in Haiti launched

Taking to his official X handle, Jaishankar posted, "12 Indians evacuated today. Fully committed to the security and well-being of our nationals abroad."