Haiti's Main Seaport Closed After Gangs Attack Shooting Ships and Workers

 

For the second time this year, Haiti’s main seaport has been closed due to violence from the armed gangs that have been terrorizing the country. This is despite the efforts by the police and army with the assistance of troops from Kenya leading to calls at the United Nations this week for more urgent actions.

Port operator Caribbean Port Services announced that it was closing road access to the port and terminal at Port-au-Prince between September 26 and 29. The goal is to give the police and army time to attempt to secure the port and restore safety after the area was reportedly overrun this week by the armed gangs. Containers in the port were also reportedly looted.

The gangs were said to be shooting at ships attempting to dock and the dockworkers according to Reuters. One crane operator was shot according to the Miami Herald, which did an in-depth story on the port problems on Friday. Their sources said the crane operator was preparing to start offloading when he was shot twice. The Miami Herald reports luckily none of the bullets hit major organs and that the operator is expected to recover. The newspaper reports another person was shot earlier in the month at the port.

The unnamed vessel, reportedly operating for Miami’s Antillean Marine Shipping Company was the first scheduled to arrive in Port-au-Prince in over two weeks. The reports indicate that ships have been diverting due to safety concerns with some offloading cargo bound for Haiti in either the Dominican Republic or Jamaica. Efforts however to drive cargo from the Dominican Republic are hampered because the border between the two countries on the island is closed.

The newspaper reports that cargo shipments were suspended earlier in September after two crewmembers from a chartered containership were kidnapped. The two individuals who are reported to be Filipinos are still in the custody of the gangs held for ransom.

Trucks that were attempting to enter to exit the port also reported that they were being stopped by the armed gangs. The reports said the gangs are demanding money from the drivers to let the trucks proceed. 

It was the second report of violence overrunning the port after similar reports in March. With the efforts to stabilize Haiti having failed so far, it became a focus of the discussions at the United Nations. Officials told the organization that at least 3,661 people have been killed in Haiti since January due to rampant gang violence, “maintaining the high levels of violence seen in 2023,” the UN human rights office said in a report issued on Friday. Indications are that the gangs control 80 percent of Port-au-Prince and that more than 700,000 people are displaced and living in temporary arrangements.

Stabilizing the port at Port-au-Prince is critical as it handles 80 percent of the commercial cargo entering the country. It is vital for food and medical supplies. The smaller ports remain open but are unable to handle larger vessels.

The President of Kenya speaking at the UN said they were still committed to an additional 2,500 police officers to be deployed to Haiti over the next four months. However, he said that Kenya and other Caribbean and African countries are “hindered by insufficient equipment, logistics and funding."

The United States promised additional financial while the UN continues to discuss the next steps to restore security. Some are calling for the issue to go before the Security Council which would be required for the authorization of a new UN peacekeeper force. Officials from the UN Human Rights Office said tackling insecurity in the Caribbean country must be the utmost priority urging the international community to do more to protect people and prevent further suffering.