Honduran nationals working in Haiti to be evacuated

TEGUCIGALPA, CMC –  The Minister of Foreign Affairs in Honduras, Eduardo Enrique Reina, says that at least 20 Honduran nationals, who were employed in Haiti, are set to be evacuated, possibly within this week, with the assistance of the Dominican Republic.

Speaking on local television, Reina said that the situation in Haiti is “very complex” and  efforts to repatriate the Hondurans, by way of helicopters, from Haiti are being coordinated with the Honduran ambassador to the Dominican Republic, Sonia de Aspra. 

“The Dominican authorities will be providing us with the necessary support,”  Reina said, adding that they are endeavouring to facilitate the direct evacuation of 16 Hondurans, along with a German citizen and a French woman who are married to Hondurans.

“To execute the evacuations, we had to conduct four helicopter trips, which incurred a significant cost of approximately US$12,000 per aircraft. However, the Dominican Republic is assisting us, and we anticipate completing the evacuations from Haiti within this week,” Reina said.

This comes as Haiti, has seen an unprecedented surge in violence characterised by attacks on civilian infrastructure, schools, universities, and public buildings.

This armed violence in the capital Port-au-Prince  has resulted in over 53,000 individuals fleeing the area.

According to the United Nations Office for Migration (IOM), 61 per cent of these displaced individuals have relocated to the southern regions of the country, posing a heightened risk of exacerbating food insecurity in these areas if immediate action is not taken.

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