Bahamian diplomats leave Haiti
All seven Bahamian diplomats, including the charge d’affaires’ spouse, were reportedly airlifted out of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Friday and have since safely landed in the Dominican Republic, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Dominican Republic’s President Luis Abinader and Foreign Minister Roberto Alvarez were thanked for carrying out this process in a statement released by Prime Minister Dr. Phillip “Brave” Davis late on Friday.
In light of the reportedly violent gang killings of police officers and protests in the French-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member state of Haiti, the Prime Minister of the Bahamas on Thursday issued an order directing all Bahamian diplomatic personnel there to leave the country as soon as security permitted.
In protest of a slew of police officer slayings by Haitian gangs, furious rebel police personnel “paralyzed” Port-au-Prince during the past few days.
More than a hundred protesters burst through gates at the airport and the Prime Minister’s residence last week, blocked streets, and fired weapons into the air.
Following the assassination of Haiti’s president Jovenel Mose by armed men in his home in July 2021, there was a protracted period of violence and unrest in the country.