PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti: The United States on Tuesday (November 12) banned all civilian flights to Haiti for a month, a day after three airliners approaching or departing from the gang-ravaged capital Port-au-Prince were hit by gunshots.

The shootings provided a striking insight into Violent chaos grips Haiti as a new prime minister took the reins of a nation ravaged by poverty, chronic political instability and other woes.

The decision by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration comes after a Spirit Airlines jetliner arriving from Florida to Port-au-Prince was hit by gunfire and had to reroute to the Dominican Republic.

A flight attendant was slightly injured and images posted online appeared to show several bullet holes inside the plane.

Two planes that left the Haitian capital on Monday were also hit, with isolated bullet holes in each case detected during post-flight inspections, the airlines said.

Both planes landed safely. It was a JetBlue flight to New York’s JFK Airport and an American Airlines flight to Miami.

Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé was sworn in on Monday, replacing outgoing Prime Minister Garry Conille, who was appointed in May but embroiled in a power struggle with the country’s unelected transition council.

Haiti remains cut off from the rest of the world, with its main airport closed and bursts of gunfire ringing out in several neighborhoods of the capital.

Many shops and schools were closed as people feared further attacks from the powerful and well-armed gangs that control about 80 percent of the city, although a An international force led by Kenya has been deployed to help the disarmed Haitian police restore order.

Violent crime remains high in the capital, with gang members regularly attacking civilians and robberies, rapes and kidnappings common.

The transition council, which aims to put Haiti on the path to voting in 2026, was tasked with stabilizing a country without a president or parliament and whose last elections date back to 2016.

The United States on Tuesday called on Haitian leaders to put personal interests aside and focus on getting the country back on its feet.

“The acute and immediate needs of the Haitian people require that the transitional government prioritize governance over the competing self-interests of political actors,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement. press release.