The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has placed Haiti under Crisis Alert Level 3, activating the Philippine government’s voluntary repatriation program, because of the ongoing gang violence in the Caribbean country.
 

Protesters react while tires burn in the street during a demonstration following the resignation of its Prime Minister Ariel Henry, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on March 12, 2024. (Photo by Clarens Siffroy / AFP)

According to the DFA, it has raised the crisis alert in Haiti due to the “current unstable security situation in the country.”
 

“The said alert level also prohibits the deployment of new and returning Filipinos to Haiti,” it said in a statement.

DFA said there are 169 currently recorded Filipinos in Haiti, with the majority of them residing in the capital Port-au-Prince.
 

“Filipinos living in Haiti are advised to remain vigilant, to avoid public places, and to restrict non-essential movement,” the statement read.
 

In the latest update from the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), it said that at least 63 Filipinos will be repatriated from Haiti.
 

On Wednesday, reports said that armed gangs attacked and looted homes in the communities of Laboule and Thomassin, two upscale neighborhoods in Haiti’s capital, which forced residents to flee.
 

The gangs have long opposes Haiti Prime Minister Ariel Henry, hinting that violence will stop if he would step down.
 

While Henry announced nearly a week ago that he would resign, the attacks have kept coming, raising concerns that the gangs would not halt.
 

The gangs claimed Henry was not elected and blamed him for deepening poverty.