France will provide special flights for its "most vulnerable" citizens to leave Haiti, the French foreign ministry said on Sunday, March 24, 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 Agence France-Presse (AFP) in a statement. It added that staff are "completely mobilized to support the French community on the ground." Around 1,100 French citizens live in Haiti, the ministry added, many of them holding dual nationality.
Paris said that its defense ministry would be responsible for organizing 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 violent street battles that started to erupt 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.