(MENAFN) US Marines stationed at the embassy in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, were involved in an exchange of gunfire with alleged gang affiliates last week, according to a military representative.

The Caribbean nation of nearly 12 million residents has been overwhelmed by escalating brutality since the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise, as heavily armed criminal factions have taken advantage of the political vacuum to broaden their dominance in Port-au-Prince and surrounding regions.

Haiti has remained under a prolonged state of emergency for more than a year.

The Marines, targeted late Thursday, responded with return fire against the suspected gang elements, US Marine spokesperson Captain Steven J. Keenan noted in a statement issued on Sunday. Keenan also affirmed that none of the American personnel sustained injuries during the confrontation.

The US State Department instructed nonessential American government staff and their dependents to depart Haiti in July 2023.

The department currently maintains a “Level 4: Do Not Travel” advisory for the country, pointing to threats such as kidnapping, criminal activity, terrorism, and civil disorder.

In June, Ghada Fathi Waly, who leads the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, reported that gangs controlled “approximately 90% of Port-au-Prince... under their grip,” while extending assaults into previously calm districts. She explained that criminal possession of crucial trade corridors has severely hindered lawful commerce, inflating prices for vital commodities like cooking fuel and rice.

United Nations statistics indicate that no fewer than 5,600 individuals lost their lives in gang-linked violence in Haiti in 2024, with an estimated 1.3 million people nationwide forced from their homes amid the ongoing upheaval.

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