愛污传媒

Skip to main content

U.S., Canada urge citizens to leave Haiti amid deepening turmoil

A woman wearing a protective face mask walks through a public market in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix) 
A woman wearing a protective face mask walks through a public market in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Share
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -

The U.S. government is urging U.S. citizens to leave Haiti because of the country's deepening insecurity and a severe lack of fuel that has affected hospitals, schools and banks. Gas stations remained closed on Thursday.

The rare warning from the U.S. State Department comes as Haiti's government and police are struggling to control gangs that have blocked fuel distribution terminals for several weeks.

"Widespread fuel shortages may limit essential services in an emergency, including access to banks, money transfers, urgent medical care, internet and telecommunications, and public and private transportation options," the State Department warned on Wednesday. "The U.S. Embassy is unlikely to be able to assist U.S. citizens in Haiti with departure if commercial options become unavailable."

It's unclear how many U.S. citizens currently live in Haiti. A State Department official told The Associated Press that it does not provide those statistics and U.S. citizens are not required to register their travel to a foreign country.

Canada also issued a similar warning on Wednesday: "If you're in Haiti and your presence isn't essential, consider leaving if you can do so safely."

The warnings come as U.S. and Haitian authorities are trying to secure the safe release of 17 members of a missionary group from Ohio-based Christian Aid Ministries who were kidnapped by the 400 Mawozo gang on Oct. 16. There are five children in the group of 16 U.S. citizens and one Canadian. Their Haitian driver also was abducted.

"We request continued prayer for the kidnappers, that God would soften their hearts," the organization said in a statement on Wednesday. "As you pray, remember the millions of Haitians who are suffering through a time of serious upheaval and unrest."

On Tuesday, top Haitian government officials acknowledged the widespread lack of fuel during a news conference and said they were working to resolve the situation, although they provided no details.

Defense Minister Enold Joseph said the government is investigating why 30 fuel tanks sent to Haiti's southern region went missing, adding that he has observed gasoline being sold on the black market.

In addition, Le Nouvelliste newspaper recently reported that truck drivers have been kidnapped and fuel trucks hijacked.

"Everything is upside down," said Pierre Alex, a 35-year-old who works at a factory that makes clothes hangers. He said his son isn't able to go to school but can't work at home either because there is no power and no internet. "I don't know what saints to call upon to come help me."

The fuel shortage also has threatened Haiti's water supply, which depends on generators, and hospitals in the capital of Port-au-Prince and beyond.

Marc Edson Augustin, director of St. Luke Hospital, said he can only care for 50 patients with COVID-19 despite having 120 beds set aside for them because the company that provides oxygen to the institution has been hit by the lack of fuel.

On Wednesday, Doctors Without Borders warned that the shortages have forced it to reduce medical care since last week, with staff treating only patients with life-threatening conditions. The aid group said that its hospital and emergency centre will run out of fuel for generators in three weeks or less if new supplies don't arrive.

"As tensions and armed conflict escalate in Haiti's capital, shortages of fuel, public transportation and drinking water are putting medical facilities and patients at risk," the aid group said. "Nearly all public and private health facilities in Port-au-Prince have stopped or limited admissions to only acute cases or closed their doors due to similar problems."

The aid group said that one patient with respiratory distress was recently refused at four different medical centres because the lack of fuel forced them to halt admissions. A fifth facility took her in, officials said.

Doctors Without Borders also said that the lack of fuel is preventing staff from reaching the hospital because of the scarcity of public transportation. It's a problem seen elsewhere, with parents unable to send their children to school and some employees unable to go to work.

The situation also has led to a spike in food prices in a country of more than 11 million people where more than 60 per cent of the population makes less than US$2 a day. Meanwhile, a gallon of gasoline, when available, currently costs US$15.

------

Associated Press writer Danica Coto in San Juan, Puerto Rico, contributed to this report.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

A 20-year-old man and a 17-year-old boy are facing multiple charges after allegedly firing gunshots at a Jewish girls' school last weekend.

Days after a man was recorded walking behind the counter at a frozen yogurt shop in Richmond, B.C., and scooping product with his hand, a suspect has been criminally charged.

If you're heading out trick or treating this Halloween, you may end up with more chips, gummies, licorice and other goodies rather than chocolate. Cocoa prices have spiked, and that could be playing a trick with what your kids come home with and what you give out on Halloween night.

SaskPower was sentenced Friday morning in a Weyburn courtroom, receiving a record fine, after being found guilty of three workplace-safety related violations when two experienced employees were killed on the job in 2020.

Taylor Swift is coming to Toronto and the city is working to shake off its gridlock problems by implementing a '"limited activity zone' around the Rogers Centre during the two-week period when she is scheduled to play six sold-out shows.

A Vancouver mom says she wants Uber to hold one of its drivers accountable for leaving her 14-year-old daughter in a parking lot in Burnaby.

Dog spotted hanging out on top of ancient pyramid in Egypt

While flying over Egypt鈥檚 famous Great Pyramids at sunrise earlier this week, U.S. paraglider Marshall Mosher and fellow paragliders spotted the unexpected sight of a stray hound also taking in views around the summit of one of the ancient wonders.

Local Spotlight

The image of a sleepy Saskatchewan small town with 'not a lot going on' is a well-known anecdote. However, one Saskatchewan company is hoping to change that 鈥 and allow communities both on and off the beaten path to share their stories and advertise what they have to offer.

A Moncton, N.B., home has been donated to the Friends of The Moncton Hospital Foundation and will be transformed into a resource hub for people living with cancer.

A Nova Scotia man crossing Canada on foot is passing through southwestern Ontario. Trevor Redmond is perhaps better known as the 鈥楩ellow in Yellow.鈥

John Cantin vividly remembers opening day for his Victoria diner. Stress levels were high, tables were full, and one of the most popular menu items couldn鈥檛 be freed from the unyielding grip of the waffle maker.

A Manitoba professor is warning the public after a book on regional mushrooms that he suspects is AI-generated was delisted from Amazon.

A B.C. judge has issued a decision in a years-long dispute between neighbours that began with a noise complaint over barking dogs, crowing roosters and quacking ducks 鈥 awarding $15,000 in damages to the plaintiffs in the case.

An Ottawa man was arrested after taking a shower in a stranger's house, Ottawa police say.

S岣祑x瘫w煤7mesh 脷xwumixw (Squamish Nation) Chef Paul Natrall, the man behind Indigenous food truck Mr. Bannock, is bringing cooking classes on First Nations fare to schools and offices throughout Metro Vancouver.

The Celtic Colours Festival is taking place at venues around Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia from Oct. 11 to 19.