Haiti's main international airport is temporarily closed after a gang attacked a commercial flight landing in Port-au-Prince resulting in a flight attendant being shot in the face.
The flight was rerouted and landed in the Dominican Republic where the flight attendant received treatment for her injuries.
The shooting is part of a broader effort by local Haitian gangs to disrupt travel and seize control of power during the government transition in the island's capital.
The gang, which began shooting guns at a Spirit airline flight while attempting to land, caused several airlines, including Spirit, JetBlue, and American to cancel flights to and from Haiti on Monday, the Associated Press reported.
The unrest coincided with the swearing-in of a new interim prime minister, Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, who promised to restore peace. Didier Fils-Aimé, a local businessman, was appointed after a peace-restoring council fired the interim prime minister Garry Conille.
The nation has seen weeks of political chaos, with various gangs causing the shutdown of airports and shipping ports. Gangs are also setting homes on fire.
Haiti has been plagued by political instability since the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. The assassination has spurred a violent power grab in the nation where gangs control 85 percent of Port-au-Prince, said a United Nations peace and security council.
The turmoil has worsened the lives of Haitians living in the island, referred to as a 'living nightmare' by the U.N., said one local. Louis-Henri Mars, executive director of Lakou Lapè, an organization working on peace building in the region, said the people are already suffering through widespread displacement and hunger.
"There will be more lives lost, more internal displacement, and more hunger in a country where half the population is on the brink of starvation," Mars said.
On Monday, Stéphane Dujarric, a U.N. spokesperson, urged everyone helping to establish democracy "to work constructively together" and to increase security support.
"Overcoming their differences and putting the country first remains critical," Dujarric said. "What is important is that Haitian political leaders put the interests of Haiti first and foremost."
Earlier this year, the United States embassy staff in Haiti was evacuated amid escalating gang violence.
