An American military aircraft landed this Tuesday at Port-au-Prince’s Toussaint Louverture International Airport.
It is the first to land on the runway of the Toussaint Louverture International Airport (AITL) since the blockade of the country’s main airport infrastructure on March 4 by armed gangs.
The Biden administration dispatched the military aircraft to Port-au-Prince a few weeks after informing the US Congress that it would provide arms and ammunition to help the Haitian National Police thwart ruthless armed gangs. But the Pentagon says these are supplies and personnel for the Port-au-Prince embassy.
The U.S. Air Force C-130 aircraft was dispatched to Haiti as part of “the planned rotation of personnel to support the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince,” the Doral-based U.S. Southern Command said in a statement quoted by the Miami Herald.
“The security and support personnel arriving in Haiti will help ensure that the U.S. Embassy remains open and operations continue,” the statement said.
“The U.S. Embassy remains focused on advancing the U.S. government’s efforts to support the Haitian people, including mobilizing support for the Haitian National Police and the Haitian Armed Forces, and creating the conditions for free and fair elections,” continued the release, which made no mention of supplies for Haitian police and the Haitian Armed Forces. However, Haitian police sources quoted by the Floridian newspaper said that these supplies were also expected and sorely needed.