Haiti’s main international airport reopened Monday for the first time in nearly three months after continued gang violence forced authorities to close it to all traffic in early March.
The reopening of Toussaint-Louverture Airport in the capital Port-au-Prince is expected to help ease a severe shortage of medicines and other basic supplies as the country’s main seaport remains paralyzed.
However, only Sunrise Airways, a local carrier, currently operates flights to and from Port-au-Prince. U.S.-based airlines are not expected to begin doing so until late May or early June.
The first expected flight was Sunrise Airways to Miami and was scheduled to depart at 2:30 p.m.
Before Monday’s reopening, the only operational airport in Haiti was the one located in the northern coastal city of Cap-Haïtien. However, it was out of reach for many seeking to flee the country since the roads leading from Port-au-Prince to Cap-Haïtien are controlled by gangs who have opened fire on passing cars and buses.
As a result, the U.S. government evacuated hundreds of its citizens by helicopter from a hilly neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, as did nonprofit organizations, while powerful gangs laid siege to parts of the capital.
The attacks began on February 29, when gunmen took control of police stations, opened fire on the Port-au-Prince airport and stormed Haiti’s two largest prisons, freeing more of 4,000 prisoners.
Since then, gangs have directed their attacks on previously peaceful communities, leaving thousands homeless.
More than 2,500 people were killed or injured in Haiti between January and March, an increase of more than 50 percent compared to the same period last year, according to the United Nations.
At the Couronne Bar, near the only gate in operation on Monday, manager Klav-Dja Raphael, 43, welcomed his first customers, ensuring prompt service for the coffee, water and occasional Prestige beer they commanded.
Passengers stand in line at the Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Monday, May 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)
But his smile belied his fear. “We are afraid because they can still attack us here,” she said. “We have to go in. It’s our job, but we’re scared.”
Raphaël recalled how bullets ricocheted off the airport on the day of the attack, forcing the airport to close for almost three months.
While the airport provided them with a month’s salary, she remained unemployed the rest of the time, relying on friends and family. She can’t wait to join her 13-year-old son who lives in Florida with his father.
Other workers, including those in immigration, were all smiles, happy to finally be back at work.
“It was a long vacation!” exclaimed an immigration agent, smiling.
Dozens of people had lined up at the Sunrise Airways counter hours before the afternoon flight, some taking selfies, others chatting contentedly.
“I am very happy, but it hurts to leave my husband and my son,” Darling Antoine said as her eyes began to tear up.
She obtained a visa allowing her to live in the United States, but the rest of her family is still waiting. They applied because gangs were constantly encroaching on their neighborhood. “There are violent gunshots every day,” she said. “Sometimes we have to hide under the bed.”
A man, dressed all in black except for a red jacket, asked if Antoine could take a photo of him as he posed with a slight smile on his face and a golden cross around his neck.
“I’m really happy,” said Jean Doovenskey, a 31-year-old accountant left unemployed because of the violence. “We suffered for a long time. We didn’t have the privilege of flying.”
In early April, he was informed that he was allowed to live in the United States, but all he had to do was wait. He will live with his aunt in Jacksonville, Florida, but he hopes to one day return to Haiti and live. “I believe in a new Haiti,” he said.
The attack on the airport left former Prime Minister Ariel Henry barred from Haiti while he was on an official trip to Kenya. He has since resigned and a transitional presidential council is seeking a new prime minister for Haiti. He is also responsible for selecting a new Cabinet and organizing general elections.
In recent weeks, U.S. military planes have landed at the Port-au-Prince airport with supplies, including medicine and hydration fluids, as well as civilian contractors to help Haiti prepare for the arrival of foreign forces expected to help quell the violence unleashed by the gangs that control the country. 80 percent of the capital.
On Sunday, Korir Sing’oei, Kenya’s principal foreign secretary, said a plan to deploy police officers from the East African country was in its final stages.
“I can tell you with certainty that this deployment will take place in the next few days, a few weeks,” he said.
Sing’oei added that “there is no chance” that Kenyan President William Ruto will visit Haiti.
Ruto left Kenya on Sunday for a four-day official visit to the United States, where he is expected to meet President Joe Biden.
In March, Kenya and Haiti signed deals to try to salvage a plan for the African country to deploy 1,000 police officers to the troubled Caribbean country to help combat violence.
Other countries expected to support Kenyan forces include the Bahamas, Barbados, Benin, Chad and Bangladesh. It was not immediately clear when these forces would arrive.
