Anti-terrorism Marine unit sent to protect US embassy in Haiti after PM’s resignation announcement
The US Marine Corps sent an anti-terrorism unit to protect the US Embassy in Haiti amid an eruption of gang violence following the prime minister’s announcement that he plans to step down.
The US Southern Command, operating in the Greater Miami area, said Wednesday that a Marine Fleet-Anti-Terrorism Security Team (FAST) was dispatched to the US Embassy in Port-au-Prince to “maintain strong security capabilities.”
The team was deployed at the request of the State Department and will also provide relief for the current Marines already stationed in Haiti and allow additional “non-emergency personnel to depart,” the command said.
Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry, 74, announced Tuesday that he planned to resign once a transitional presidential council was created just hours after Caribbean and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met in Jamaica to discuss the island’s situation.
The country — which shares borders with the Dominican Republic on the island of Hispaniola — has long been overrun with gang violence that has worsened since Henry’s announcement.
One US missionary has said: “The gunfire never stops.”
“The US Embassy remains open, and limited operations continue, focused on assistance to US citizens and supporting Haitian-led efforts to secure a peaceful transition of power,” the Southern Command said.
The Defense Department “doubled” the Southern Command’s funding for the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission. Dozens of FAST Marines in Yorktown, Virginia were deployed, a US defense official told the Washington Post.
The “FAST” team is made up of units of armed Marines who are specially trained to protect embassies and assist with evacuations in emergency situations. They rapidly deploy to provide backup with short notice.
What to know about the violence in Haiti:
- Haiti has declared a state of emergency after gang violence and anarchy broke out in the Caribbean nation.
- Thousands of inmates have taken to the street after two separate prison breaks in Port-au-Prince.
- Gang leader Jimmy Chérizier — a former national police member who is known as “Barbecue” — seized power and has vowed to continue fighting until Prime Minister Ariel Henry resigns.
- Henry is currently in Kenya where he was on an official trip. He has promised to resign once a transitional council is established.
- The US military has airlifted embassy workers out of Haiti, but some Americans and other foreigners remain trapped in the embattled country.
- US missionaries have told The Post that the embassy hasn’t been helpful during the crisis.
- “My fear is that we will be caught in the middle of something really dangerous. We’re already on the front lines of it, we’re in a bad area,” Jill Dolan, who runs an orphanage, said.
The team was deployed Tuesday, defense officials told the Washington Post.
US troops also assisted with a voluntary evacuation of non-essential embassy personnel on Sunday after planners and logistical personnel were dispatched, a defense official told the DC-based paper.
The US military will work with Kenyan police units, who they will vet before allowing them to be deployed, to help stabilize Haiti, Southern Command said.
Armed gangs control 80% of the capital city, according to the UN, and continuously wreck havoc.
This month, gangs freed thousands of prisoners after attacking two prisons, as well as targeting the international airport, police stations, and more.
Henry has been running the country since January 2023 after former President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated.
The PM has drawn criticism for failing to control gang violence and for not holding new elections, according to the Washington Post.
While the political unrest continues, Henry remains in Puerto Rico as he is unable to return due to gangs took control of the airport.
