Haiti gangs: tens of thousands flee violence

In response to a recent surge in gang violence, tens of thousands of individuals have evacuated the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, in recent weeks.

According to UN estimates, over 53,000 people have left the city of 3 million between March 8th and March 27th.

The UN cautions that the rural regions where many have sought refuge lack the infrastructure to accommodate such a large influx of displaced individuals.

Meanwhile, gangs have intensified their attacks on businesses in the capital, including the burning of pharmacies and the vandalisation of schools.

Although Haiti’s national police successfully stopped an assault on the presidential palace on Monday, armed individuals seized control of the nearby State University of Haiti Hospital (HUEH) to establish it as their headquarters.

HUEH, which had closed last month due to the violence, was scheduled to reopen on Monday, but the damage caused by the gangs is likely to further delay its reopening. 

The already limited access to healthcare has been further constrained after armed groups looted a hospital in the Delmas 18 neighbourhood and the Saint-Martin health centre last week.

Criminal gangs not only dominate the main port in Port-au-Prince but also control many of the city’s access roads, complicating the transportation of medical supplies.

While the situation in the capital’s hospitals remains dire, the UN has warned that the arrival of tens of thousands of displaced individuals in rural areas ill-equipped to handle such an influx poses significant challenges.

Most of those fleeing Port-au-Prince have headed south, to areas still recovering from the 2021 earthquake, which claimed the lives of over 2,000 people.