Haiti’s ongoing gang violence causes closure of charity-run emergency center
Ongoing armed gang violence and “an unbearable situation” in a gang-controlled area of Haiti’s capital is forcing the shutdown of the only charity-run emergency hospital along the capital’s southern entrance after 15 years.
The French medical charity Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontière, which announced in late June that it was temporarily closing its emergency center in Martissant after doctors and patients were the target of an armed gang attack, said Monday it has no choice but to close its doors.
“After 15 years of continuous service in the Martissant area, Médecins Sans Frontière had to empty its premises,” the charity, known by its French acronym MSF, said in a statement.
Since June 1, gang clashes in the Martissant area have forced the displacement of more than 16,000 Haitians from their homes, according to the United Nations, and cut off access to four regions in the south. Gang control of the area has also led to a scarcity of fuel, increasing the cost of transporting goods, which is leading to higher prices, the U.N. said in its latest report on the situation in Haiti.
The U.N. has noted that the situation in Haiti is tense and unpredictable following the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse on July 7. In recent days, the country has seen a resurgence of gang violence.
On Monday, gangs were still fighting on the southern edge of the capital, and groups demanding the release of political prisoners had also cut off access in areas north and east of the capital.
In its note, MSF said it hopes to one day be able to return to Martissant, where it admitted 33,100 people into its emergency room last year. The facility employed 270 national and four expatriates among its staff, and provided care for trauma and medical emergencies related to obstetrics. It also focused on providing awareness about COVID-19, sexual violence, hygiene and asthma.
Due to safety safety and time constraints, the humanitarian organization said it wasn’t able to remove its logo or other identifying symbols and would bear no responsibility “for what could happen in the old building of the Emergency Center in Martissant 25.”
The charity said it is having ongoing discussions with Haitian officials about relocating the emergency center in the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince.
This story was originally published August 2, 2021 at 11:23 AM.
