The United States on Tuesday, March 11, banned flights to Haiti’s capitol Port-au-Prince. According to the US administration under the leadership of President Donald Trump, the move followed the worsening gang violence situation in Haiti.
United Nations’ human rights expert on Haiti said that the crisis is more critical than ever. Consequently, the ban has now been extended until September 8, 2025.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) made the announcement of the extension of the ban that began in November 2024, after gangs opened fire on three commercial planes.
Therefore, originally set to expire on Wednesday, March 12, the restriction will now remain in place for several more months.
Also Read: Angry Kenyan Police Raid Gang Leader Berbecue’s Hideout in Haiti
Why Trump Has Cancelled Flights to Haiti
William O’Neill, the United Nations (UN) human rights commissioner’s expert on Haiti, completed his fourth visit to the country since his appointment two years ago.
Speaking to UN reporters, he described a worsening crisis, with escalating gang violence deepening in Haiti.
Further, he noted that despite efforts by Haiti’s national police and a UN backed, Kenya-led multinational police force, the risk of the capital falling under gang control is possible reality.
The human rights commissioner stated that gangs have infiltrated all levels of society, operating with complete impunity and sometimes with the complicity of influential figures.
“These violent criminal groups continue to extend and consolidate their hold even beyond the capital. They kill, rape, terrorize, set fire to homes, orphanages, schools, hospitals, places of worship,” O’Neill said.
Additionally, he said that over a million people have been displaced with nowhere to turn, urging Haitian authorities to address the impunity and corruption that remain the biggest barriers to dismantling the gangs.
Haiti has only 9,000 to 10,000 officers for a population of 11 million, compared to approximately 50,000 officers in the Dominican Republic, which has a similar population.
The gangs have grown in power since the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse and are now estimated to control up to 85% of the capital.
Also Read: Family of Police Officer Who Died in Haiti Speaks
Kenyan Police Dies
Kenyan police officer Samuel Kaitwai died in the line of duty while serving under the Kenyan-led Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) in Haiti in February.
The National police Service (NPS) explained that the security team came under fire from suspected gang members while on patrol on February 23, 2025.
He was rushed to a hospital after the shootout but succumbed to his injuries.
Katwai was described as a dedicated police officer who served in Mandera and Wajir since 2021, before he was drafted as part of the team sent to Haiti. His body arrived in Nairobi on Monday, March 10, with a postmortem showing he was killed by a single bullet to the head.
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