US personnel sent to protect embassy in Haiti

The United States sent personnel to protect the U.S. embassy in Haiti amid turmoil following the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, three U.S. officials told Reuters.

The officials said fewer than a dozen people were deployed in the days after Moïse was killed last Wednesday. It wasn’t immediately clear how many have since returned to the U.S.

In a statement to The Hill, a State Department spokesperson said, “The safety and security of State Department personnel serving at home and abroad is our highest priority and we continually assess our security measures. With that said, for operational security reasons, we cannot discuss specifics of our security posture.”

More than two dozen people, several of which are Haitian American, are suspected to have been involved in Moïse’s assassination.

Several suspects have been arrested, including Christian Emmanuel Sanon, who authorities say is a “central” suspect in the attack. 

Haiti requested U.S. troops help guard critical infrastructure amid unrest regarding Moïse’s assassination, though the Biden administration currently has no plans to send troops to the country. Haiti has also requested aid from the United Nations.

Officials from the departments of Justice, Homeland Security and State, as well as the White House National Security Council (NSC) traveled to Haiti on Sunday to review the country’s security and assist with the investigation.

“The delegation reviewed the security of critical infrastructure with Haitian government officials and met with the Haitian National Police, who are leading the investigation into the assassination,” NSC Spokesperson Emily Horne said. 

Updated 5:11 p.m.