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Haiti’s main airport temporarily shut down Monday as gangs attempted to seize control, the United States embassy reported, the same day a new interim prime minister was expected to take over the direction of a country facing a surge of violence.
Firefights between gangs and police broke out in parts of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, with heavily armed officers ducking behind walls as civilians ran in terror. In other upper class neighborhoods, gangs set fire to homes.
Read Also: Haiti Replaces Its Prime Minister Amidst Recent Political Crises
The United States Embassy in Haiti issued a travel warning saying that the city’s airport was shut down due to “gang-led efforts to block travel to and from Port-au-Prince which may include armed violence, and disruptions to roads, ports, and airports.”
It comes after reports that gangs shot at a Spirit airline flight and photos shared with the Associated Press of bullet holes in the plane, though The Associated Press was not able to immediately confirm the incident with authorities.
The turmoil comes a day after a council meant to reestablish democratic order in the Caribbean nation fired the interim prime minister Garry Conille, who was at odds with the council, replacing him with businessman Alix Didier Fils-Aimé. The council has been marked by infighting and three members were recently accused of corruption.
A transitionary council created to reestablish democratic order in Haiti signed a decree Sunday firing interim Prime Minister Garry Conille and replacing him with Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, a businessman who was previously considered for the job.
The decree, set to be published on Monday, was provided to The Associated Press by a government source. It marks even more turmoil in an already rocky democratic transition process for Haiti, which hasn’t held democratic elections in years in a large part due to the soaring levels of gang violence plaguing the Caribbean nation.
Fils-Aimé is the former president of Haiti’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry and in 2015 ran an unsuccessful campaign for Senate. The businessman studied at Boston University and was previously considered for the position as a private sector candidate for the post before Conille took the seat.
Conille, a longtime civil servant who has worked with the United Nations, served as prime minister for only six months.
The AP on Sunday couldn’t reach Conille or a spokesperson for him.
