MSF set to scale up presence in Haiti as chaos grips capital

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) increases presence in Haiti amid escalating violence, treating rising casualties in Port-au-Prince.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) announced on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, it was boosting its presence in the Haitian capital following a surge in casualties linked to the worsening violence engulfing Port-au-Prince.

Armed groups have mounted a coordinated effort to oust Prime Minister Ariel Henry — who was supposed to step down last month — with Port-au-Prince’s airport, prisons, police stations and other strategic targets coming under attack. MSF said the number of casualties requiring treatment by the medical charity’s teams had risen sharply.

“The 50 beds in our hospital in Tabarre have all been occupied since the beginning of February, but on February 28 the situation worsened and we had to increase the bed capacity to 75,” said MSF head of mission Mumuza Muhindo Musubaho. Insecurity and improvised roadblocks are preventing ambulances from transporting patients, the Geneva-based NGO said.

The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting about the situation on Wednesday, March 6, 2024.

Powerful gang leader Jimmy Cherizier warned on Tuesday that the chaos would lead to civil war and “genocide” unless the Prime Minister — who was abroad when the gangs announced their campaign — steps down. The Haitian government has declared a state of emergency and a night-time curfew, which has been extended through Wednesday.