U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken headed to Jamaica on Monday to attend a Caribbean Community (CARICOM) meeting on Haiti, which is suffering from a collapse in security and a humanitarian crisis, the State Department said.

Blinken departed from Washington on Monday morning on a trip organized at the last minute as spiraling gang violence threatens to bring down Haiti’s government.

On Sunday, the U.S. military airlifted non-essential personnel and stepped up security at Washington’s embassy in Port-au-Prince.

The State Department said in a statement that Blinken will discuss a proposal developed by CARICOM and Haitian officials to expedite a political transition in Haiti through the creation of a broad-based, independent presidential college.

Blinken will also discuss the long-awaited deployment of a multinational security mission to restore order in Haiti, which is set to be led by Kenya.

The United Nations estimates hundreds of thousands have been displaced and thousands killed in the overall conflict in Haiti, with widespread reports of rape, torture and ransom kidnappings.

Rape as weapon in Haiti

Nearly 3,000 pregnant women in Port-au-Prince risk being cut off from essential healthcare if the current gang war-driven paralysis of the city continues, the United Nations said on Friday.

The U.N.’s Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) said if the situation continues some 450 women out of those 3,000 are at risk of potentially fatal obstetric complications, while more than 500 sexual violence survivors could be left without medical care by late March.

“Sexual violence against women and girls is used as a weapon of war, intimidation, territorial control and domination,” BINUH said in a statement, adding that partner organizations working to prevent gender violence in camps for internally displaced people had cut or halted most services for safety reasons.

There are widespread reports of gangs carrying out mass rapes in the country as they expand their control. Many victims do not report the attacks for fear of retaliation and support is largely left to cash-strapped local associations.

Abortion in Haiti remains illegal, and hospitals have warned of staff, bed and blood shortages while many aid organizations have suspended services due to the violence.

Haiti entered a state of emergency on March 3 as clashes damaged communications and led to two prison breaks after gang alliance leader Jimmy Cherizier, alias “Barbeque,” called for criminal groups to unite and overthrow Haiti’s Prime Minister Ariel Henry.

Blinken last week pressed Henry, who has been stranded outside the country and was most recently in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, on the urgent need to accelerate a transition to a more inclusive government.

Blinken will also meet with Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness to discuss bilateral and regional issues, the department said.

US Haiti embassy evacuation

“This airlift of personnel into and out of the embassy is consistent with our standard practice for embassy security augmentation worldwide, and no Haitians were on board the military aircraft,” the U.S. military’s Southern Command said in a statement.

The European Union’s delegation in Haiti has temporarily closed its offices and reduced its presence in the country to the minimum, according to a post on social media X, citing security concerns.

Haiti entered a state of emergency last Sunday after fighting escalated while Prime Minister Ariel Henry was in Nairobi seeking a deal for the long-delayed U.N.-backed mission.

Kenya announced last year it would lead the force but months of domestic legal wrangling have effectively placed the mission on hold.

On Saturday, the U.S. State Department said Secretary of State Antony Blinken had spoken with Kenyan President William Ruto about the Haiti crisis and the two men underscored their commitment to a multinational security mission to restore order.

In the Southern Command’s statement, it said Washington remained committed to those goals.

“Our embassy remains focused on advancing U.S. government efforts to support the Haitian people, including mobilizing support for the Haitian National Police, expediting the deployment of the United Nations-authorized Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission and accelerating a peaceful transition of power via free and fair elections,” it said.

-Reuters