The Haitian government has declared a state of emergency across the country as it battles violent gangs that have taken control of major areas of the capital and are seeking to spread to other regions.
The action comes as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken prepares to visit the Caribbean island, where he will meet with Prime Minister Garry Conille to discuss “the next steps in Haiti’s democratic transition.”
Mr. Conille has been striving to restore order since the new government was founded three months ago.
According to the United Nations, violence has internally displaced about 580,000 people, with close to five million experiencing extreme famine.
Mr. Blinken’s visit comes as more than a million people remain without power in the capital, Port-au-Prince, after demonstrators attacked and vandalised a power plant.
According to the state electrical company, the event occurred on Monday, when a group of protesters invaded the facility in protest over the previous days’ frequent power disruptions.
The United States is the major supporter of a UN-backed security mission to curb gang violence.
In March, armed gangs assaulted Haiti’s two largest prisons, releasing approximately 3,700 inmates.
The Ouest Department, which includes the nation’s capital, Port-au-Prince, was initially declared a state of emergency on March 3, following rising violence in the city.
In June and July, 400 Kenyan police officers arrived in Haiti to help combat the violence, the first contingent of a UN-approved international force of 2,500 officers from other countries.
