Gang violence displaces hundreds in Haiti’s capital as hospitals suspend operations

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A fresh surge of gang violence in Haiti’s capital has forced hundreds of residents to flee their homes, shuttered medical facilities, and sparked protests demanding government protection, according to multiple reports from Africa News and Al Jazeera.

The clashes, which erupted over the weekend in several northern neighbourhoods of Port-au-Prince, have left dozens dead and displaced thousands across the Ouest and Artibonite departments, the World Food Program reported. Residents scattered along the road to the main airport, carrying hastily gathered belongings, as gunfire drove entire blocks from their homes overnight.

Coverage comparison

Reports from Africa News and Al Jazeera broadly agree on the scale of the crisis, though they differ on some details. Both outlets describe gangs as having seized effective control over large parts of the capital since the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. Africa News reports that gangs now control more than 90% of Port-au-Prince, while Al Jazeera cites police as saying the groups control about 70% of the capital. The discrepancy may reflect different sources or timing, but both indicate a dramatic expansion of gang influence.

Al Jazeera’s coverage emphasizes the impact on medical services, including the suspension of operations at Doctors Without Borders’ hospital in Cité Soleil and the evacuation of newborns from another facility. Africa News focuses more on the humanitarian toll, including the displacement of families and the role of the World Food Program in providing emergency aid.

Key claims

• Displacement and casualties: Dozens of people are dead and thousands have been displaced in Haiti’s Ouest and Artibonite departments, according to the World Food Program, as reported by Africa News. The International Organization for Migration estimates that more than 1.4 million Haitians have been displaced by gang activity, with around 200,000 living in overcrowded sites in the capital.

• Gang control: Gangs have overtaken more than 90% of Port-au-Prince since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021, according to Africa News. Al Jazeera, citing police, puts the figure at about 70%. Police also say gangs have expanded their activities—including looting, kidnapping, sexual assaults, and rape—into the countryside.

• Hospital suspensions: Doctors Without Borders announced the evacuation of its hospital in Cité Soleil following intense clashes on Sunday, as reported by both Africa News and Al Jazeera. More than 800 residents had sought refuge in the hospital before operations were suspended due to gunfire safety concerns, according to Al Jazeera. A security guard was struck by a stray bullet inside the compound. Another facility, the Centre Hospitalier de Fontaine, suspended operations and evacuated all patients, including 11 newborns, Al Jazeera reported.

• Protests: Residents of Cité Soleil protested on Tuesday, demanding government protection after clashes forced hundreds to flee their homes, according to both outlets. Some protesters said they had witnessed people being killed over the weekend, though Haitian authorities have not released casualty figures.

• International response: An international security mission, backed by the United Nations, has begun to deploy. The first foreign troops arrived in April, and an undisclosed number of troops from Chad have so far been deployed, according to Al Jazeera. The UN Security Council approved a 5,550-member force in late September, but the full contingent has yet to arrive.

Perspectives

The humanitarian situation is dire, with families like that of Lorgue Dorsaint, who has been on the streets since Sunday searching for his children, expressing desperation. “I don’t know where my children are. I hear they were killed. I’m holding my heart. I don’t know anything,” he told Africa News. Another resident, Michel-Ange Toussaint, said she knew of seven people killed and others shot, and credited “our good feet” for saving her family.

Residents also voiced anger at the government’s failure to protect them. Sandra Saintus, standing among her belongings, blamed authorities for abandoning citizens to armed groups. “The government of my country put me in this situation. I thank those thieves for forcing us to abandon our country,” she said, as reported by Africa News.

Medical workers face impossible choices. Doctors Without Borders said that “not a single hospital is open in the area where the fighting is taking place,” and that it could not guarantee the safety of staff or patients due to gunfire. The group treated more than 40 gunshot victims in half a day, and a hospital security guard was hit by a stray bullet.

The international community’s response has been slow. While the UN-backed mission is beginning to deploy, past interventions have had little impact on insecurity, as Al Jazeera noted. The full 5,550-member force has yet to arrive, leaving communities largely defenceless as violence spreads.

As the crisis deepens, the immediate needs are clear: shelter, food, and medical care for the displaced. The World Food Program is providing emergency food distributions at the Shalom Church in Delmas 33, where more than 2,000 newly displaced persons are sheltering. But as one mother of four, Anidette, told Africa News, “We have nothing—no money, no roof over our heads—and we don’t know if or when we’ll be able to return.”