France charters evacuation flights from Haiti

PARIS: France is organising government-chartered flights from Haiti to help its nationals seeking to leave the Caribbean country, which has been gripped by gang violence, the French foreign ministry said on Sunday.

About 1,500 French nationals are registered with the French embassy in Haiti, which has seen waves of attacks by rival gangs, including raids on police stations and the international airport.

France’s foreign ministry said in a statement that the evacuation flights were being organised with the defence ministry to enable “the most vulnerable” nationals to leave the country. It did not provide further details.

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 late February, prompting the resignation earlier this month of prime minister Ariel Henry.