<div><span style="font-size: 1rem;"><b>The US is organising a charter flight to evacuate its citizens from Haiti, the US embassy said on Saturday, after weeks of gang violence that has paralysed the Caribbean country.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The emergency flight will depart from Cap-Haitien, Haiti’s second largest city, as the main airport in capital Port-au-Prince remains shut amid the unrest.</div><div><br></div><div>“We are arranging a charter flight for US citizens from Cap-Haitien to the United States, assuming the security situation in Cap-Haitien remains stable,” the US embassy in Haiti said in a security alert posted on its website.</div><div><br></div><div>The embassy said the airport in Cap-Haitien is open “periodically” for departing flights.</div><div><br></div><div>No date for the evacuation has been announced and it is unclear how many Americans will be able to take the flight.</div><div><br></div><div>The embassy warned that the 200km overland journey from Port-au-Prince to Cap-Haitien is “dangerous,” telling its citizens to consider the flight “only if you believe you can reach Cap-Haitien airport safely.”</div><div><br></div><div>The US said last Sunday it had airlifted non-essential American staff from its embassy in Port-au-Prince and brought in additional personnel to boost security at the compound.</div><div><br></div><div>Several other countries and the European Union have evacuated diplomatic personnel due to the crisis.</div><div><br></div><div>The United Nations also said it was evacuating non-essential staff.</div><div><br></div><div>The UN mission in Haiti announced Wednesday it would launch an “airbridge” from neighbouring Dominican Republic to facilitate the movement of aid into the country.</div><div><br></div><div>Haiti has been convulsed for the last two weeks by a gang uprising, with the well-armed groups aiming to topple Prime Minister Ariel Henry, an unpopular and unelected leader.</div><div><br></div><div>Henry agreed to step aside after an emergency meeting Monday that brought together parties including the US, UN and Caribbean representatives, yielding a blueprint for Haitians to form a governing transitional presidential council until elections can be held.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier on Saturday, authorities said police seized firearms and cleared roadblocks in a Port-au-Prince neighbourhood controlled by notorious gang leader Jimmy “Barbecue” Cherizier, in an operation that left several criminals dead. - AFP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>