PORT-AU-PRINCE – Haiti’s international airport was temporarily closed Monday after gangs opened fire on a Spirit Airlines flight landing in Port-au-Prince, the U.S. State Department and the airline said. The latest violence took place as the new Prime Minister was taking the oath of office.

The flight, which was heading from Fort Lauderdale to Port-au-Prince, was hit several times by gunfire as it prepared to land in the Haitian capital, hitting a flight attendant who was lightly injured. hurt. Photos and video obtained by The Associated Press show bullet holes dotting the interior of a plane.

The flight was diverted and landed in the Dominican Republic, according to Spirit Airlines. It appears to be part of what the U.S. Embassy called “gang-led efforts to block travel to and from Port-au-Prince, which may include armed violence and disruption of roads, ports and airports.

In other neighborhoods of the Haitian capital, exchanges of fire between gangs and police broke out. Gunshots echoed through the streets as heavily armed officers hid behind walls and civilians ran in terror. In other wealthy neighborhoods, gangs burned down homes. Schools closed as panic spread in several regions.

The unrest comes the day after a council supposed to restore democratic order in this Caribbean country. fired interim Prime Minister Garry Conillereplacing him with businessman Alix Didier Fils-Aimé. The council was marked by infighting and three members were recently accused of corruption.

On Monday, suited diplomats and security officials gathered en masse for the inauguration ceremony, which is scheduled to take place in the afternoon.

The country has seen weeks of political chaos, which observers warn could lead to even more violence in a place where bloodshed has become the new norm. The country’s gangs have long taken advantage of political unrest to seize power, close airports, transport ports and sow chaos.

The transition council was created in April, tasked with choosing Haiti’s next prime minister and cabinet in the hopes that it would help quell the violence, which exploded after the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse in 2021.

The council was supposed to pave the way for democratic elections, which have not been held for years in Haiti. Gangs took advantage of this power vacuum to gain power of their own.

But the Council is beset by political and internal conflicts, and has long been at odds with Garry Conillethe interim Prime Minister whom they chose six months ago and whom they sacked yesterday.

Organizations including the Organization of American States tried unsuccessfully last week to mediate disagreements to try to save the fragile transition.

——-

Pierre Luxama in Port-au-Prince, Haiti contributed to this report.

——-

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america