Haiti’s Prime Minister, Ariel Henry, lands in Puerto Rico amid wave of violence sweeping through the country

(CNN) –– A plane carrying Haiti’s prime minister, Ariel Henry, landed in Puerto Rico this Tuesday, Sheila Anglero Mojica, a spokeswoman for Governor Pedro Pierlusi, confirmed to CNN.

The Anglers indicated they had no additional details on the matter but added that “federal agents from the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) are in charge,” without providing further details.

Over the past week, Port-au-Prince has suffered a wave of highly coordinated attacks by gangs against law enforcement and state institutions. Armed groups burned police stations and freed thousands of prisoners from two prisons, in what one gang leader described as an attempt to overthrow Henry’s government.

The wave of violence erupted while Henry was in Kenya, where he signed an agreement supporting a Kenyan-led mission to deploy 1,000 police officers to Haiti to restore security on the island. According to Mojica, the prime minister’s last public appearance was in Kenya on Friday, before arriving in Puerto Rico today.

Thousands and thousands of displaced people in Haiti

The Haitian government declared a state of emergency on Sunday amid escalating violence in Port-au-Prince. Meanwhile, an estimated 15,000 people have fled their homes in the capital, according to the United Nations. This figure is added to the more than 300,000 people who were already displaced by gang violence.

“Most of these people have already been displaced,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric indicated.

Despite security concerns, UN humanitarian partners have distributed mattresses, hygiene kits, food, lamps and other essential aid, the spokesperson said.

The World Food Program has delivered nearly 5,500 hot meals to people living in three new displacement sites, while the International Organization for Migration has distributed emergency shelter materials to more than 300 families, Dujarric added.

Half of Haiti’s population, 5.5 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, the UN published.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was “deeply concerned” about the rapidly deteriorating security situation in Haiti and its impact on Haiti’s civilian population, Dujarric said.

The Dominican Republic has suspended air operations to and from Haiti

The Dominican Republic has suspended passenger and cargo air operations in Haiti effective immediately this Tuesday, according to a statement citing Resolution No. 46-2024 issued by the Civil Aviation Board of the Dominican Republic (JAC).

In it, the president of the JAC, José Ernesto Marte Piantini, explains that “in exceptional circumstances, during periods of emergency or in the interest of public safety, to temporarily ban or ban flights with immediate effect over its entire territory or part of it.”

Just this Monday, the president of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader, reported that a heavy level of security was in effect along the border with Haiti after more than 3,500 prisoners escaped to the neighboring country over the weekend.

Although the head of state did not reveal what the increased border security would entail, he warned that any escaped Haitian prisoner entering the country would face a “harsh response.”

Troops stationed along the border are “ready to stop or prevent any incident” that threatens the peace of the area, reported this Tuesday by Defense Minister, Lt. Gen. Carlos Luciano Díaz Morfa.