Haiti: US Embassy requests more Marines and Security Personnel amid violence

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The U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, has requested additional security personnel including Marines as the Haitian capital has been gripped by days of protests over a government plan to raise fuel prices and cut food subsidies, according to multiple reports.

A request made by the embassy includes a Marine Security Guard Augmentation Unit consisting of about 13 Marines and other personnel to reinforce existing embassy security, CNN reported Tuesday. The request has been approved by Trump administration officials, the network added. Staff at the embassy have been instructed to shelter in place by State Department officials, and a travel advisory urging U.S. citizens to stay away from the airport unless absolutely necessary was issued Tuesday afternoon.

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Thirteen members of the Marine Security Augmentation Unit are in place at the embassy, a U.S. defense official said. Members of the Quantico, Virginia-based unit are trained Marine security guards who can reinforce U.S. embassies facing threats. An undisclosed number of non-uniformed security personnel were also dispatched to the U.S. embassy in Port-au-Prince, the defense official said.

CNN first reported that the Marines 'presence had been requested by diplomats on the ground. Members of Marine Security Augmentation Units can respond directly to calls from an ambassador, chief of mission or regional security officer at an embassy in trouble. A State Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the safety and security of Americans are among their highest priorities. "Local law enforcement and U.S. embassy security authorities will take appropriate measures to safeguard personnel and visitors," the official said.

The State Department issued a notice Monday warning Americans not to travel to Haiti. Widespread civil unrest and violent demonstrations broke out there after Prime Minister Jack Guy Lafontant announced that gasoline, diesel and kerosene prices would jump by up to 51 percent. The Associated Press reported that three people had been killed Friday as protesters used burning tires and barricades to block major streets. The fuel price hike was suspended on Saturday, but unrest continued.

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