US Embassy in Haiti is open: Pentagon

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US Embassy in Haiti is open, a Pentagon spokeswoman said Thursday as the Caribbean nation struggles through a political transition.

"So, right now the embassy in Port-au-Prince remains open. We did enhance our security posture there over the weekend and earlier this week, but the embassy continues to remain open at this time," Sabrina Singh told reporters.

Her remarks came one day after US Marines were sent to help secure the embassy amid rising armed gang violence.

"Our mission right now with the personnel that are on the ground is to shore up security at the embassy. And we were able to remove some non-essential personnel. But that's our main focus at this time," said Singh.

When asked if the US is sending ships, aircraft and other assets to the Caribbean in case they are needed, she said: "At this time, right now, we are not." But if asked by the Department of Homeland Security or the State Department “we can certainly surge assets to any region that might need help.”

"Our focus right now is just on making sure that our personnel in the embassy are safe. And that's why you've seen an increase in our security posture there," said Singh.

The US wants to see governance and security restored in Haiti, she said. "Until that happens, we also need to protect our personnel."

Haiti has been struggling with gang violence and political instability for years. The situation dramatically deteriorated in recent months, with kidnappings, killings, armed robberies and other violent crimes becoming commonplace.

The rampant instability has further exacerbated an exodus of migrants from Haiti, and Prime Minister Ariel Henry resigned Monday after fleeing the island nation for Puerto Rico.