The capital of Haiti, Port-au-Prince, is experiencing a day of tense calm today, with sporadic gunfire in some areas and no operations at the international airport, following violent attacks on two commercial airplanes the day before. The city is virtually paralyzed, with schools and many businesses closed, after the leader of the armed gang coalition Vivre Ensemble (Live Together), Jimmy Cherizier, known as 'Barbecue', urged the population to stay home unless strictly necessary.
The violence manifested at the Toussaint Louverture International Airport, Haiti's main air terminal, which was closed after being targeted by gunfire at an aircraft belonging to the American airline Spirit. This plane, which was about to land, had to divert and land in the Dominican Republic amid the security crisis. Another plane, belonging to JetBlue, was also fired upon while taking off from Port-au-Prince airport bound for New York.
These incidents occurred on the day that Alix Didier Fils Aimé assumed the position of Prime Minister of Haiti, replacing Garry Conille, who was ousted by the Presidential Transition Council. The new Prime Minister held a meeting with the Council to discuss the formation of the new government, which could retain some ministers from the previous cabinet. Security is cited as one of the greatest challenges for the new executive in a nation that has seen an alarming number of victims due to violence and clashes with gangs.
Between July and September of this year, at least 1,223 people lost their lives and 522 were injured, according to the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH). Additionally, in the first half of the year, 3,900 victims including dead and injured were reported, after a 2023 that ended with around 8,000 victims in total.
