PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haiti’s main airport is closed Tuesday, a day after gangs shot a landing plane and injured a flight attendant in violence that broke out as the country’s new prime minister was sworn in during a politically tumultuous transition. remained.

READ MORE: Haiti’s main airport closed due to increase in gang violence, US embassy says

Life was frozen in much of the Haitian capital following a wave of violence that culminated on Monday when gangs shot down a Spirit Airlines plane, forcing the closure of the airport. Photos and videos obtained by The Associated Press show bullet holes in the interior of a plane. A number of airlines suspended flights to Haiti until Thursday, but it was unclear how long the closures would last.

On Tuesday, heavily armed police in armored vehicles outside the airport checked passing public transport.

Schools were also closed, as were banks and government offices. The streets were eerily empty the day before as gangs and police were locked in a violent conflict; Very few people were passing by, except for a motorcycle with a man shot in the back.

Heavy gunfire still echoed through the streets; It was a reminder that despite political maneuvering by Haiti’s elites and strong pressure from the international community to restore peace, the country’s list of toxic gangs maintains a firm grip on much of the Caribbean nation.

The United Nations estimates that gangs control 85% of the capital, Port-au-Prince. A UN-backed mission led by Kenyan police to quell gang violence struggles due to lack of funding and personnel has led to calls for a UN peacekeeping mission.

The violence came after a transitional council tasked with restoring democratic order in Haiti, which has not held elections since 2016, decided to fire the country’s interim prime minister, Garry Conille, who has frequently been at odds with the council during his six months in office. office.

Despite Conille declaring the move illegal, the council immediately swore in businessman Alix Didier Fils-Aimé as the new interim prime minister. Fils-Aimé promised to work with international partners to restore peace and organize long-awaited elections; His predecessor also made this promise.

But many Haitians, like 43-year-old Martha Jean-Pierre, have little taste for political conflict. Experts say this gives gangs more freedom to continue expanding their control as Haiti teeters on the brink of famine.

Jean-Pierre was among those who took to the streets of Port-au-Prince on Tuesday to sell the bananas, carrots, cabbage and potatoes he carried in a basket on his head. He said he had no choice, the only way he could feed his children was by selling.

“What good is a new prime minister if there is no security, if I cannot move freely and sell my goods,” he said, nodding towards the vegetable basket. “This is my bank account, this is what my family lives on.”

Associated Press video journalist Pierre-Richard Luxama contributed to this report.