Caribbean News
Top diplomats arrive in Jamaica for Haiti meeting
Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer
US Secretary of State Anton Blinken, CARICOM Heads of Government, envoys from France, Canada and the UN all landed in Jamaica on Monday morning for an emergency meeting on Haiti.
Ifraan Ali, President of Guyana and Chair of CARICOM had revealed on March 8th that the regional bloc was sending letters to the countries with diplomatic relations to Haiti for the March 11 meeting.
“It is urgent that this engagement be at the highest level possible, sending a clear message of unity between CARICOM and the international community,” Ali said Friday.
The call was answered, evidenced by the high level delegates including Blinken who made their way to Kingston, Jamaica’s capital for the gathering.
The announcement of the meeting came days before it was revealed that embassies in Haiti are now being emptied as countries assess the risk of continued presence in the country as too great for their staff.
So far Germany, the EU and US have begun pulling out staff. 
“The Delegation of the European Union in Haiti informs that it has temporarily closed its offices and has reduced its presence in the country to a minimum— We will return as soon as security conditions allow,” the EU delegation in Haiti said via X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday.
A similar message came from the US embassy to Haiti on Sunday as well as they too pulled out their non-essential staff.
“The U.S. Embassy in Haiti remains open. Heightened gang violence in the neighborhood near U.S. embassy compounds and near the airport led to the State Department’s decision to arrange for the departure of additional embassy personnel. All arriving and departing passengers work for the U.S. government,” the US embassy said.
It comes roughly a week after most air carriers pulled out of Haiti including those from the US and TCI because of increased attacks by gangs and a major jailbreak which freed 4000 inmates.
Reports indicate that with air travel now stymied, those looking to leave are traveling via land to the Dominican Republic and then overseas.
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