PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – Rampant gang violence has created a humanitarian crisis in the Caribbean country, whose Prime Minister, Ariel Henry, resigned last week.
UN children’s agency UNICEF reported that on Saturday, one of its containers was looted at the main port in the capital city.
The container held essential items for maternal, neonatal and child survival, including resuscitators, as well as water equipment and critical supplies for early childhood development and education.
Condemning the looting, UNICEF emphasized that depriving children of vital health supplies amidst a collapsing healthcare system is a violation of their rights.
Discussions continue with port and State authorities on efforts to secure more than 300 containers belonging to UN agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Port-au-Prince.
Delivering meals, tracking displacement
Meanwhile, since early March, the World Food Programme (WFP) has delivered 115,000 hot meals to people displaced in the capital.
UN health agency WHO and its regional office, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), continue to support the Hôpital Universitaire la Paix, the sole public hospital in Port-au-Prince with the capacity to treat trauma.
A new survey by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) found that in addition to creating displacement within the capital area, attacks and insecurity are pushing more and more people to leave the city to find refuge in provinces, taking the risk of passing through gang-controlled routes.
IOM said nearly 17,000 people left the capital from 8 to 14 March, and more than half are heading towards the Grand Sud departments – a region that is already hosting more than 116,000 people who have fled the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince in recent months.