Port-au-Prince, Haiti – Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is scaling up its medical activities in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, to care for the mounting number of people injured in the chaos that has engulfed the Haitian capital since the February 28 announcement that general elections may be postponed as late as August 2025.
The violence has taken on a new dimension since last weekend, causing an explosion in the number of casualties and triggering the government’s declaration of a state of emergency. Faced with this further deterioration in the security situation, the number of wounded – many of them women, children and older adults – requiring treatment by MSF teams has risen sharply.
Many parts of the city are currently in the throes of violence, which is the culmination of a political, economic and social crisis that has plagued the country since the assassination of its former President Jovenel Moïse in 2021. The country’s main port is currently difficult to access due to tension and insecurity in most parts of the city. The international airport has also been closed for several days.
“We are also worried because our stock of medical supplies is extremely difficult to access, not only because of the situation at the port but also because it is impossible to continue with the administrative procedures for customs clearance,” Musubaho said.
In late 2022, the country was virtually paralyzed for weeks when a wave of demonstrations led to the declaration of “peyi lok” or “country lockdown”, hampering movement, economic activity, water and fuel supplies and forcing many health facilities to suspend their activities. Port-au-Prince’s healthcare system is once again under enormous pressure, struggling to meet needs.
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Related:
- Conflict in Haiti
- Haiti
- Haitian
- MSF in Haiti
