A large part of the city is controlled by armed groups. The latter have been targeting infrastructure for several days, further pushing residents to flee.
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It evokes “a city under siege”. Philippe Branchat, head of mission of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Haiti, warned once again about the situation in the country and in its capital Port-au-Prince, Saturday March 9. “The residents of the capital live locked up, they have nowhere to go,” he insisted, adding that “People who flee are unable to contact family members and friends who are in the rest of the country.” “The capital is surrounded by armed groups and dangers.”
Armed gangs, who control 80% of Port-au-Prince and the roads leading to other regions, have been attacking police stations, prisons, courts and other infrastructure for several days, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry. The leader, who is contested by part of the population and was due to leave office at the beginning of February, is, according to the latest news, stuck in Puerto Rico.
In Port-au-Prince and throughout the West Department, the state of emergency for several days was extended by one month, until April 3, reports the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs of the UN (Ocha). Clashes with the police, crucial infrastructure at a standstill, displaced populations… Franceinfo takes stock of the situation in the Haitian capital, where violence is raging.
A series of attacks by armed gangs
As Ocha recalls, attacks took place on February 29 in several districts of the city. The violence accelerated on March 1, when two prisons were attacked, leading to the escape of thousands of inmates. Gangs attack other infrastructure such as courts and police stations. Ten police buildings were destroyed, according to the National Union of Haitian Police Officers (Synapoha).
Friday evening, shots were heard in several neighborhoods of Port-au-Prince. Armed men attacked the national presidential palace as well as the Port-au-Prince police station, Lionel Lazarre, general coordinator of Synapoha, announced to AFP. The police pushed them back and killed several attackers, he added, specifying that“no victim had been recorded within the police”.
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Other institutions were targeted. Companies have been “vandalized” And “burned”, reports the National Network for the Defense of Human Rights in Haiti (RNDDH). The organization also recorded acts of vandalism at the Ministry of Culture and Communication, as well as at the Toussaint-Louverture international airport and the Guy Malary Terminal. According to her, “the human and material losses which were caused by this demonstration of power are enormous”. Schools have also been targeted or are at risk of being vandalized soon.
Infrastructures at a standstill
In the Haitian capital, administrations and schools are closed due to the violence. The airport and the port no longer operate. On Friday, looting took place within the port, according to the director general of the National Port Authority (APN), Jocelin Villier. “More than 300 humanitarian containers are threatened with looting”, warns Ocha, which specifies that the Varreux Terminal, where a major part of the fuel is stored, “would have been blocked by gangs, raising fears of a shortage”.
Health centers are also affected by this wave of violence. Of “many” establishments had to close or “significantly reduce their operations”, warns the UN Office of Humanitarian Affairs. Hospitals have been stormed by armed groups and medical teams have had to flee with patients – including newborns – according to the IOM. For medical teams, “their ability to provide even the most basic medical services is severely diminished.”she warns.
Humanitarians are worried about food insecurity and serious health consequences if the violence persists. “With the closure of the international airport, the little aid currently provided to Haiti may no longer arrive”, warns the NGO Mercy Corps. As for the port, “If we can no longer access these containers, Haiti will soon be hungry”. Thousands of pregnant women also risk losing access to essential care.
Civilians flee violence
In the areas of Port-au-Prince that they control, armed gangs are causing an increase in “criminal predation” and “human rights violations”underlines a recent report from the Global Initiative against Organized Crime (PDF). Groups dispose of lifeless bodies in the streets, plunging residents “in constant fear.” Sexual violence is “a central practice” gangs, continue the authors of the study. Many rapes are committed to terrorize and “discipline” population. Some sex crimes take place in public or in front of relatives of the victims. In the capital, the study reports cases of sexual slavery, repeated rapes and torture. Added to this are racketeering and other forms of extortion, an essential source of income for the gangs. “Kidnapping has become an ‘industry’ generating millions of dollars a year,” the report continues.
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Such violence pushes civilians to flee. Since February 29, no less than 15,000 people have had to flee their homes. More than 160,000 civilians are displaced in the Port-au-Prince region, according to the IOM. The displaced, including many children and women, occupy “informally” schools, football fields, gymnasiums and even these public buildings. “They sleep on the ground, in makeshift shelters made of plastic sheeting” and without access to “a whole series of services basic” such as care and drinking water, described to AFP Carlotta Pianigiani, of the medical aid NGO Alima.
Leaving the capital is extremely difficult. “Either you are prepared to pay an official criminal tax, or you risk your life”has recently told Ulrika Richardson, UN humanitarian coordinator in Haiti.