An Oklahoma missionary who just returned from Haiti is sounding an alarm on behalf of the struggling Caribbean nation.
Three U.S. flights were fired on last week as they tried to land in the country’s capital, Port-au-Prince. The shots prompted Toussaint Louverture International Airport to close and the Federal Aviation Administration to suspend flights for 30 days.
Haiti is overrun with gang violence that’s spilling into previously untouched areas. A 2010 earthquake and political instability have contributed to thousands of murders, reports of widespread sexual violence, ransom kidnappings, and extreme hunger.
Claremore missionary David Lloyd’s son and daughter-in-law were killed by Haitian gangs in May. Lloyd still visits Haiti; he supports an orphanage displaced to an area near the Port-au-Prince airport.
"The day I left, they actually found a bullet in the yard of the compound where the kids are,” said Lloyd.
Lloyd, who’s worked in Haiti for 26 years, says the gangs are taking a populist stance as they actually victimize the easiest targets. He complained of figures like notorious gang leader Jimmy Chérizier, also known as Barbecue, being paid for interviews by influencers.
“They convince ‘em they’re really fighting for the people of Haiti, to make a difference against the corrupt leadership, but that’s not what they’re doing,” said Lloyd. “They’re shooting the poor people as they run down the street.”
Lloyd expressed hope that the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump would help, pointing out that the United States and other nearby countries are affected by Haiti’s instability. He said Trump's promised mass deportations of immigrants won’t be accomplished if planes can’t safely land.
“If we just got some security down there and give the Haitians a chance to live, I think it would help the world out a lot,” said Lloyd.
