An armed gang launched an assault on Haiti’s police academy amidst a series of escalating crises, including an attack on the airport and a deadly prison breakout, further isolating the Caribbean nation on Tuesday.

Lionel Lazarre, a representative of the Haitian police union, reported that the attack on the academy, where over 800 cadets are undergoing training, was thwarted by the arrival of reinforcements.

This latest episode of violence occurred following the evacuation of numerous residents from the capital city of Port-au-Prince, prompting renewed concerns from the United Nations and Washington about the deteriorating situation.

Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince has been heavily impacted by the violence, including an attempted assault late Monday in which a police station was set ablaze.

On Tuesday the Dominican Republic, which shares the Caribbean island of Hispaniola with its troubled and impoverished neighbor, said it was halting all flights to Haiti.

The Civil Aviation Board said in a statement that it was suspending “with immediate effect passenger and cargo air operations to and from the Republic of Haiti.”

The armed groups controlling much of Haiti have wreaked havoc for months, with attacks on strategic sites growing since last week.

The gangs say they want to overthrow the disputed prime minister, Ariel Henry, who was out of the country at the weekend for a trip to Kenya to push for the deployment of a UN-backed multinational police mission to try to stabilize Haiti.

Henry’s current whereabouts are unknown.

Lack of security at the Port-au-Prince airport has prevented Henry’s return home as of Tuesday, local media Radio Tele Metronome revealed.

In power since 2021, Henry had been due to step down in February but agreed to a power-sharing deal with the opposition until new elections were held.

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‘Escalation of violence’

With Henry away, the gangs raided two Port-au-Prince prisons, in attacks that resulted in a dozen deaths and the escape of thousands of inmates.

In response, the government declared a state of emergency and a night-time curfew, which has been extended through Wednesday.

The “escalation of violence” has prompted at least 15,000 evacuations in the worst-hit parts of the capital, said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, adding that aid workers have begun distributing food and other essentials at three new sites for the displaced.

Due to limited movement, the UN teams on the ground have been unable to report a death toll from the latest violence, Dujarric told reporters in New York.

Meanwhile, the UN Security Council has scheduled a closed-door meeting on Wednesday to discuss the Haiti crisis. Maria Isabel Salvador, the UN representative in Haiti, will brief the council remotely.

After being brought to a virtual standstill, Port-au-Prince appeared to be returning to some semblance of normalcy on Tuesday, although certain streets remained barricaded with debris placed by residents in an attempt to protect themselves.

Some transportation has resumed and shops have reopened, with long queues seen outside of stores, banks and at petrol stations.

In Washington, the State Department renewed a call for calm.

“We urge all actors to put the people of Haiti first, stop the violence, and make the necessary concessions to allow for inclusive governance, free and fair elections, and the restoration of democracy,” spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.

He declined to address the whereabouts of Haiti’s prime minister.