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France to offer evacuation flights for vulnerable citizens in Haiti

People set tyres on fire during a demonstration demanding the resignation of former Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry on March 7, 2024. (Photo: Guerinault Louis/Anadolu via AFP)

By AFP | Sunday, March 24, 2024

Around 1,100 French citizens live in Haiti, many of them holding dual nationalities.

France will provide special flights for its "most vulnerable" citizens to leave Haiti, the French foreign ministry said Sunday, after air links with Port-au-Prince were cut during political chaos.

"France's embassy in Port-au-Prince remains open and is still working despite the degraded conditions," the ministry told AFP in a statement.

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It added that staff are "completely mobilised to support the French community on the ground."

Around 1,100 French citizens live in Haiti, the ministry added, many of them holding dual nationalities.

Paris said that its defence ministry would be responsible for organising the flights, which are set to begin on Sunday.

People wanting to leave should contact the embassy in Port-au-Prince, the foreign ministry said, adding that it was not yet clear how many people would take up the offer.

Port-au-Prince remains subject to street battles that erupted in late February, prompting the resignation earlier this month of Prime Minister Ariel Henry.

His departure, a key demand by an alliance of armed gangs that now control most of the capital, has not lessened the violence.

Haitians are suffering serious food shortages during the wait for a new transitional government to be formed.