In the space of a month, nearly 100,000 inhabitants left the metropolis of Port-au-Prince, according to figures from the IOM, the International Organization for Migration. The violence of armed groups raging in the capital is pushing ever more displaced people onto the roads and those who can are increasingly making a radical decision: to leave Haiti to escape the chaos and join the United States. Report from Cap-Haïtien airport.
1 min
With our special correspondents in Cap-Haitien, Vincent Souriau And Boris Vicith
“ I was very afraid “.
A few hours before departure, this young man of 23 is still shocked. Little by little, he realizes the risk he took. Leaving Port-au-Prince with her little sister to reach Cap-Haitien, while the gangs target civilians who want to leave the country.
“ They check their suitcases. If they find passports with travel authorizations, they kidnap you, they demand unimaginable sums of money. »
Full flights
Then there is the race for plane tickets. There is five times more demand than normal at Cap-Haïtien airport. Prices are exploding and flights are full, barring a miracle, like for this family heading to New York.
“ It was really really difficult to find an available flight. We have to stay on the internet at night. Luckily for us, we found a flight. We do not have a choice. »
For others, minimum 15 days of waiting. For the moment, airlines have no plans to increase the number of rotations to the United States.
Read alsoHaiti: violence reaches record level