Haitian ministers had to be evacuated from the country’s national palace due to an intense shooting in the area, according to a new report.
Spanish agency EFE noted that the incident took place as the transitional council held its first cabinet meeting in a year and a half.
Citing local media, the outlet added that prime minister Alix Didied Flis-Aime and other ministers were seeking to make a decision regarding the country’s budget for the next fiscal year.
So far there are no reports of people hurt or killed as a result of the shooting. It took place shortly after the United Nations’ approved expanding the security mission for the beleaguered country.
The resolution in question significantly expands and transforms a security mission aimed at fighting gangs in Haiti, which control most of the capital, Port-au-Prince.
The unit can now have up to 5,500 uniformed personnel and can have both police officers and soldiers. This stands in contrast with the current mission, which only contemplates police.
The proposal was pitched by the U.S. and Panama. Before the vote, the U.S.’s s chargé d’affaires in Haiti said the force would be much more lethal than the current one.
“To be clear, the mission is colored overwhelmingly as military due to the urban combat nature of it,” said Henry Wooster. “But also happy to take police.”
Originally published on Latin Times
