India looking at evacuating its nationals from violence-hit Haiti

PTI

New Delhi, March 15

India on Friday said it is looking at evacuating up to 90 of its nationals from Haiti in view of the deteriorating security situation in the Caribbean nation.

Various gangs have launched coordinated attacks on key installations in Haiti in an attempt to force the resignation of the country’s embattled Prime Minister Ariel Henry.

There are between 75 and 90 Indians in Haiti and about 60 of them have registered with Indian authorities to return to India “if need be”, external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at his weekly media briefing.

“We are ready to evacuate everybody,” he said.

India doesn’t have an embassy in Haiti and the situation in the country is being monitored by the Indian mission at Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has already opened control rooms and established emergency helpline numbers in Santo Domingo as well as in New Delhi.

The Indian embassy in Santo Domingo said it is in touch with all Indians in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince and other parts of the country.

“We are monitoring the situation. If required, we are ready to evacuate (the Indians),” Jaiswal said.

“In view of the ongoing developments in Haiti, a 24-hours control room has been set up in the Ministry of External Affairs to monitor the situation and provide information and assistance,” the MEA said in a statement.

The criminal gangs in Haiti carried out attacks on various installations of the country including police stations, the international airport and a couple of prisons.

The Indian community in Haiti include doctors, engineers and technicians and many missionaries.