PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti (CMC) — Haiti’s main airport was temporarily shut down Monday as gangs attempted to seize control of the facility less than 24 hours after criminal gang leaders warned that the fighting will start again and asked the population not to go out into the streets.

On Monday, the United States (US) owned carrier, Spirit Airlines announced that its flight to Haiti was forced to divert to the Dominican Republic when gunfire struck the jet.

In a statement, the American carrier said that a crew member suffered minor injuries. It said flight 951 from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Port-au-Prince was “diverted and landed safely in Santiago, Dominican Republic” and a subsequent inspection “revealed evidence of damage to the aircraft consistent with gunfire”.

Spirit Airlines has since said that its service to Haiti has been suspended.

The US Embassy in a statement Monday said it is “aware of gang-led efforts to block travel to and from Port-au-Prince which may include armed violence, and disruptions to roads, ports, and airports”.

“The US Embassy is aware of a temporary pause in operations at the Touissant L’Overture airport as of November 11, 2024,”it said, adding that “the security situation in Haiti is unpredictable and dangerous”.

“Travel within Haiti is conducted at your own risk. The US government cannot guarantee your safety travelling to airports, borders, or during any onward travel. You should consider your personal security situation before travelling anywhere in Haiti. Only attempt to depart Haiti or travel within Haiti if you believe it is safe for you to do so,” the embassy added.

The attack by the gangs followed a video message released by Jimmy Cherizier, aka “Barbecue” the leader of “Vivre Ensemble” gang, announcing that the fighting will start again.

“The time for observation [of the situation] by the gangs of ‘Vivre Ensemble’ is over, the time has come to take the destiny of this country into our own hands,” he said.

Another gang leader, Jimmy Cherizier, who heads the “Jeff Gwo Lwa” gang in the Canaan area, north of Port-au-Prince, also called on the population to stay at home to avoid risks during the clashes.

“To the populations of the North, the Central Plateau, the Artibonite and the West starting this Monday, I ask everyone not to return to Port-au-Prince, the roads will be impassable,” he said.

Over the last weekend, the United Nations Human Rights Office, said the crisis in Haiti continues to deteriorate as violence escalates across the country. It said between January and September of this year nearly 4,900 people have been killed.

“More than 700,000 people are displaced in the country — over half of whom are children — with recent violence in the capital Port-au-Prince displacing another 12,000 people in recent weeks,” it said, adding “food insecurity is at an all-time high, affecting half of Haiti’s population, or approximately 5.4 million people”.

The UN spokesperson, Stephanie Tremblay, said “for the first time since 2022, we are seeing pockets of famine-like conditions in some areas where displaced people are living”.

Despite these challenges, UN agencies and partners continue to deliver humanitarian assistance. In the first half of 2024, around 1.9 million people received some form of relief including food and cash.

Since the end of February, thousands of hot meals and hundreds of thousands of gallons of water have been distributed to displaced people in the capital.

To curb Haiti’s growing needs, the US$684 million Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan has been launched but it remains only 43 per cent funded.

The situation in Haiti has become even more complicated with the Presidential Transitional Council (TPC) Monday said it had appointed by decree,  52-year-old businessman Alix Didier Fils-Aimé as prime minister of Haiti.

“The appointment decreed has already been published in the National Press, and Didier Fils-Aimé should take office this Monday. The formation of the government is scheduled for Tuesday, November 12.”

The decree, which is published in the official journal Le Moniteur, special issue #57, is signed by eight of the nine members of the council including two non-voting observer members.

The signature of Presidential Advisor Edgard Leblanc Fils does not appear at the bottom of this decree.

Prime Minister Garry Conille says the resolution adopted by the TPC to revoke his appointment had been taken “outside of any legal and constitutional framework, raises serious concerns about its legitimacy and its repercussions on the future of our country”.

In an open letter to the nation, Conille, who was sworn into office in June, replacing Dr Ariel Henry, said that the decision of the TPC “directly contravenes both the Constitution and the texts governing the transition period”.

“Article 158 of our constitution stipulates that the prime minister is responsible to Parliament, and that only a resignation or a motion of censure by Parliament can result in the termination of his functions. Under no circumstances can the presidential council, even in its transitional functions, replace Parliament or exercise a power that has not been assigned to it.”