PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – The humanitarian coordinator in Haiti condemns in the strongest terms the new attack on the Université d’État d’Haïti hospital (HUEH) on 24 December and calls for an end to attacks targeting medical facilities.
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement Friday:
“During preparations for the reopening of the hospital, armed individuals broke into the premises and fired on those attending the ceremony. According to hospital sources, 4 people were killed and 10 injured, including 4 in a serious condition, all of whom were admitted to the Hôpital de la Paix. This attack came just 8 days after an attack on the Bernard Mevs hospital in Port-au-Prince during which it was vandalised and set on fire.”
The United Nations statement continued: “Attacks on health facilities are unacceptable,” said Ulrika Richardson, humanitarian coordinator in Haiti. “Medical facilities and personnel must never be a target. These serious incidents against health facilities further deprive the Haitian population, especially the most vulnerable in the Port- au-Prince metropolitan area where only 37 percent of health facilities are fully functional, of vital healthcare services. All the parties involved must take care not to target health facilities or personnel, and guarantee access to healthcare for people in need,” said Richardson.
Despite the concerning security situation and limited response capacity, humanitarian partners are continuing, alongside national partners, to support efforts to provide multi-sector assistance to the millions of Haitians in need.
“More than 7, 500 people have been injured or killed in Haiti since January 2024, according to UN sources. This brings the total number of people killed or injured in Haiti to at least 17,248 since the beginning of 2022. In 2025, half of Haiti’s population, some 6 million people, will be in need of humanitarian aid, of whom 3.3 million will be children,” the OCHA said.