A four-month-long ban on US flights to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, has been extended until 8 September 2025 because of worsening gang violence. The decision by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) follows three incidents of gangs opening fire on commercial aircraft.
William O’Neill, the UN human rights commissioner’s expert on Haiti, said after a recent monitoring trip that the situation in the Caribbean republic is “more dire than ever”. Haiti shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic to its east. Violent gangs have been running a campaign of terror and encroaching on parts of the capital, Port-au-Prince, since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021. Up to 85% of the city is now reportedly in criminal hands, and O’Neill has said, “the risk of the capital falling under gang control is palpable.”
🇭🇹 U.S. EXTENDS HAITI FLIGHT BAN AMID ESCALATING GANG VIOLENCE
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) March 12, 2025
The U.S. FAA has extended its ban on flights to Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, until September 8, citing escalating gang violence.
The original ban, imposed in November, followed gang gunfire at three commercial… https://t.co/r8kbHTkLjz pic.twitter.com/pDPLVUkdAD
Shortage of police and equipment
With rape, murder and arson rife, over one million people in a population of 11 million have been displaced by the violence and are living in camps where they remain vulnerable. Despite the development of a Kenyan-led international police presence in Haiti from June 2024, law enforcement remains inadequate, with less than one officer for every 1,000 citizens. O’Neill has called for the international community to send a further 1,500 police, which he estimates “could have an enormous impact on controlling, dismantling, overpowering the gangs” which at present are acting “with the utmost impunity and, sometimes, as many sources point out, with the complicity of powerful actors.”
A shortage of equipment is also part of the problem, and authorities need helicopters, drones, ground vehicles and fuel to enhance their mobility, as well as night vision goggles and body armour. A voluntary fund currently helps provide supplies, but UN Secretary-General António Guterres recently put forward a Security Council motion to take the funding from the UN budget.
Do Not Travel
The US State Department currently has the highest travel alert, a level four Do Not Travel advisory, in place for Haiti, where it says US citizens have been at risk of “kidnapping, crime, civil unrest and limited health care” since March 2024.
We issue Travel Advisories with Levels 1 – 4. Level 4 means Do Not Travel. This level is assigned based on local conditions and/or our limited ability to help there. These places are dangerous and you may be putting yourself at extreme risk by visiting.
— Travel – State Dept (@TravelGov) March 5, 2025
The Travel Advisories for… pic.twitter.com/RMT1sgz0WM
Attacks can be both random and planned, and officials also warn that “Protests, demonstrations, and roadblocks are common and unpredictable. They often damage or destroy infrastructure and can become violent. Mob killings and assaults by the public have increased, including targeting those suspected of committing crimes.
