00:00 The United States has issued an advisory urging all citizens currently in Haiti to leave as
00:09 soon as possible amid the current security situation and infrastructure challenges.
00:14 Americans have been urged to use commercial or private transport to get out of the country
00:19 with the advisory noting that multiple airlines and charter companies currently offer flights
00:24 from its international airports in Port-au-Prince and Cape Haitian.
00:28 US citizens have also been advised to continue to use extreme caution while traveling around
00:33 the country to avoid demonstrations and large gatherings, to get to a safe area if they
00:38 encounter a roadblock, and to review guidance on travel to high-risk areas.
00:44 The advisory comes as Haiti continues to face security issues with gangs in the country
00:49 now controlling large parts of the country which has fueled a humanitarian crisis displacing
00:54 tens of thousands of Haitians.
00:57 Since last year, Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry has called for an international force
01:02 to rein in the groups but no country has offered to lead such a force despite the US calling
01:07 on Canada to take a leading role.
01:11 Just last week, at least seven people were killed after a gang opened fire on a church-led
01:16 protest in a suburb of Haiti's capital.
01:18 So far, more than 1,000 people have been taken hostage for ransom in the first six months
01:23 of the year, according to United Nations figures.
01:28 Waves of crime and unrest have hit Haiti since the assassination of former President Moise
01:32 in 2021.
01:34 His successor, Prime Minister Ariel Henry, has struggled to staunch the violence which
01:39 is also a major impediment to holding crucial, long-delayed elections in the country.
01:44 Over the past two years, warring gangs in Port-au-Prince have visited terror upon the
01:48 country's vital port city with rape, torture and killings as they vie for territorial control.
01:55 Thousands of Haitians have fled their homes, gathering in makeshift encampments across
01:59 the sprawling capital.
02:02 A vigilante movement known as "Brua Kale" struck back brutally earlier this year, stoning
02:07 and burning suspected gang members in the street, prompting United Nations Special Representative
02:13 Maria Salvador to warn in a July report that the movement had set into motion a new and
02:18 alarming cycle of violence.
02:20 Hundreds of alleged gang members have been killed by vigilantes all across the country.
02:25 Conflict in the capital has meanwhile choked the rest of the nation's supply lines, causing
02:29 the price of food and energy to spike in other parts of the country.
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