The US has ordered non-emergency government personnel and their families to leave Haiti, which continues to reel under widespread gang violence, kidnappings and political instability.

In a travel advisory, the State Department also advised US citizens in Haiti to leave “as soon as possible”.

The advisory states, “Kidnapping is widespread, and victims regularly include US citizens,” the statement said, adding that violent crimes including armed robbery and carjackings are also common. Protests, demonstrations, tire burning, and roadblocks are frequent, unpredictable, and can turn violent. The US government is extremely limited in its ability to provide emergency services to US citizens in Haiti.”

According to Al Jazeera, the violence has impeded access to healthcare facilities, forced the closure of schools and clinics, and worsened already dire food insecurity by cutting residents of gang-controlled areas off from critical supplies.

In mid-July, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution urging member states to provide support to the Haitian National Police, “including through the deployment of a specialized force, upon consultation with Haitian stakeholders”.

No country has agreed to lead the mission, and Al Jazeera says some Haitian civil society leaders have rejected the prospect of foreign intervention, saying past deployments have done more harm than good.