Dozens of US citizens have been evacuated from Haiti on a State Department charter flight as the country is paralyzed by escalating gang violence and political instability that has left once bustling streets vacant and necessities like food and gas scarce. The flight departed Sunday from Cap-Haitien on Haiti's north coast and landed at the Miami International Airport, the State Department said. More than 30 US citizens were on the flight and government officials are now "assisting with next steps," a State Department spokesperson said. The department will continue to assist US citizens looking to leave Haiti as long as "commercial options remain unavailable, and the security environment permits us to do so," the spokesperson said. Cap-Haitien is more than 100 miles from Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, where the airport has been closed amid fighting between gangs and police in the surrounding area. "The security situation in Haiti is unpredictable and dangerous," the State Department said in a statement Saturday announcing the flight. "The overland trip from Port-au-Prince to Cap Haitien is dangerous. We recommend you consider the Cap-Haitien flight only if you believe you can reach Cap-Haitien airport safely. We cannot provide overland travel from other parts of Haiti to Cap-Haitien," the statement said. The crisis in Haiti began escalating early this month as rival gangs began wreaking coordinated havoc, security sources said. The gangs were pushing for the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who said last week he would resign following the establishment of a transitional council, which has yet to be formed. Eighty percent of Port-au-Prince is currently controlled by gangs, according to UN estimates. While police have tried to battle back, they face limited resources and have been targets of the violence, with several police stations attacked or burned down in the past two weeks. — CNN
