2026-01-26

Airlines Suspension The Trump administration escalated pressure on Haiti's transitional leadership January 25 by imposing visa restrictions and revoking visas of two Transitional Presidential Council members and their immediate families, accusing them of involvement in gang operations and interference with counter-gang efforts targeting Viv Ansanm and Gran Grif, both designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations by the United States on May 2 2025. The State Department statement did not name the sanctioned individuals but given that Fritz Alphonse Jean already received visa sanctions in November 2025 for signing the January 21 PM dismissal resolution, the likely targets are Leslie Voltaire and either Louis Gerald Gilles or Edgard Leblanc Fils, the other signatories attempting to January 26, 2026 remove Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime. The sanctions came 48 hours after Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Fils-Aime that the CPT must be dissolved by February 7 without corrupt actors interfering in Haiti's path to elected governance, underscoring Washington's determination to prevent the five-member majority from installing a new government before the mandate expires. The sanctions coincided with systematic aviation attacks that have effectively isolated Haiti from international air travel. On January 25, two ZED Airlines aircraft were struck by gunfire while approaching Toussaint Louverture International Airport, prompting immediate and indefinite suspension of all flight operations to Haiti. ZED Airlines becomes the latest victim of coordinated infrastructure targeting following Spirit Airlines Airbus A321 struck four times November 11 2024 during landing with one flight attendant injured, JetBlue flight hit by bullet same day discovered after JFK landing, and Sunrise Airways suspension November 23 2025. These incidents triggered Federal Aviation Administration ban on US carriers flying to Port-au-Prince through March 7 2026, leaving the capital's main international airport with virtually no commercial service beyond limited charter operations. The operational implications create severe constraints on humanitarian logistics, business continuity, and diaspora travel. Port-au-Prince airport paralysis forces reliance on Cap-Haitien in the north, but the 150-mile overland route from the capital is controlled in segments by armed groups making access dangerous and unpredictable. The aviation attacks demonstrate gang capacity to target critical infrastructure with impunity, a capability extending to the January 24-25 fire at Cap-Haitien's historic Cluny Market that destroyed approximately 30 warehouses and over 100 small shops. While authorities have not confirmed the fire's cause, the timing and scale suggest either gang arson or deliberate infrastructure sabotage as part of broader territorial control strategy. Canada issued parallel warning January 22 stating that any change attempt before February 7 would weaken political stability and risk compromising elections, announcing readiness to take targeted measures against persons whose actions threaten peace and the electoral process. The convergence of US and Canadian sanctions threats creates credible deterrent against the five CPT members formalizing Prime Minister Fils-Aime's dismissal, but also locks Haiti into governance stalemate with no resolution as the February 7 deadline approaches. The sanctions signal unprecedented direct intervention against Haiti's executive authority while aviation isolation compounds the Federal Aviation Administration ban and constrains humanitarian and business operations during critical transition period.