Inside Haiti: A lucky few escape, while millions face gang rule, hunger and chaos

The only thing coming into Haiti’s violent capital Port-au-Prince are the private evacuation helicopters – a bitter reminder of the inequality that has plagued Haiti for decades.

In a city silenced by gangs, everyone notices the thrum of a helicopter beating overhead in the night – a brief sign that someone very lucky has been able to leave Port-au-Prince. CNN was able to land in the Haitian capital by helicopter on Friday after days of on-again, off-again plans that required detailed security arrangements and multiple layers of diplomatic approval. Since our previous visit to Haiti last month, the situation has deteriorated sharply. Beleaguered Prime Minister Ariel Henry announced his decision to step aside, but it is not clear who will fill the void or when. A promised transitional government has yet to materialize, and plans for a Kenyan-led stabilisation force are in limbo. Ordinary people leave their homes only rarely in Port-au-Prince these days, where daily battles between police and gangs send plumes of smoke into the air, gunshots echoing through quiet streets. Boulevards that would ordinarily be packed with cars and vendors are empty, the city’s painted “tap tap” taxis rarely full. There are few places left to go. All roads leading out of the city are blocked by gangs, as is access to the port, and the city’s international airport has been shuttered, its walls pocked with bullet holes. Nothing is coming in either; the city’s grocery stores are running out of food. Gas stations are out of fuel. Hospitals are short on blood. On Friday evening, gunshots could be heard ringing in the city’s hills. Lower down, a police operation was also in course in the territory of notorious gang leader and former police officer Jimmy Cherizier, also known as Barbeque. The United Nations is working to create an air bridge between Port-au-Prince and Santo Domingo, in the neighboring Dominican Republic, that would convey vital supplies to the city. But for now, the only thing coming into Port-au-Prince are the private evacuation helicopters – a bitter reminder of the gross inequality that has plagued Haiti for decades, where most people live on less than $4 per day.