U.S. Urges Haiti Stability

The US said that emergency talks were a "critical moment" in addressing spiraling instability in Haiti, where gang violence has crippled the capital and forced foreign diplomats to evacuate.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announces another $133 million to support Haiti. Addressing an emergency Caribbean conference in Jamaica, Blinken says the United States would commit another $100 million to the forthcoming Multinational Security Support Mission plus an immediate $33 million in humanitarian aid, bringing total US pledges for Haiti during the years-long crisis to $333 million.

"We hope progress will be made on Haiti," said Secretary of State Antony Blinken, ahead of discussing the crisis with Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness.

Blinken told reporters it was a "critical moment for Haiti and also all of us" and praised Jamaica for its "leadership in the hemisphere that we share."

Armed groups, which already control much of Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince as well as roads leading to the rest of the country, have unleashed havoc in recent days as they try to oust Prime Minister Ariel Henry.

Reporters saw bodies lying in Port-au-Prince streets, and some 362,000 Haitians have been displaced from their homes, according to the International Organization for Migration.

The UN Security Council gave its green light in October for a multinational policing mission led by Kenya, but that deployment has been stalled by Kenyan courts.

The council reiterated its support for the mission, while calling in a statement for all Haitian stakeholders to "engage constructively in meaningful negotiations" toward fresh elections.

Port-au-Prince and the surrounding region is under a month-long state of emergency, while a nighttime curfew is in effect, though it is unlikely overstretched police can enforce it.