SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Doctors Without Borders announced Thursday that it is suspending operations at its clinic in the Bel-Air neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, due to ongoing violence between police and armed gangs. This decision marks a significant setback for a community that relies heavily on the clinic for essential medical services.
The suspension of services is particularly critical as the clinic was the sole provider of medical care in an area that has seen increasing violence and dislocation. It highlights the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Haiti, where essential services are vanishing under the pressure of gang violence.
Key Developments
- The clinic in Bel-Air served several thousand patients monthly, offering the only medical care available in the area.
- The Krache Dife gang controls Bel-Air, which is part of a coalition known as Viv Ansanm, or “Living Together.”
- Seven community volunteers were recently trapped at the clinic for hours due to violent clashes, and a former volunteer was seriously injured and died at the clinic’s entrance.
- MSF had previously suspended operations in Bel-Air due to violence and closed its emergency care center in another part of the capital last October.
- Approximately 60% of health facilities in Port-au-Prince are currently nonoperational, including the general hospital.
- The United Nations reported that from July to September, over 1,200 people were killed in Haiti, with widespread violence displacing over 1.4 million residents.
Full Report
Doctors Without Borders, known as Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), made the decision to halt services amid intensified clashes between law enforcement and armed groups in the capital. On Tuesday, violent confrontations left community volunteers trapped at the clinic for several hours, culminating in the tragic death of a former volunteer.
MSF has been operational in Bel-Air since 2022 and has previously faced the necessity to suspend services under similar circumstances. The organization’s statement emphasized that the situation reflects a broader crisis, with the ongoing violence severely undermining medical services-essential for the thousands who depend on them.
In recent months, fighting in Port-au-Prince has escalated, with 90% of the area reportedly under gang control. The United Nations has documented alarming rates of violence, including at least 1,247 killings over a three-month period this summer.
The humanitarian crisis has also prompted a UN-backed initiative led by Kenyan police to support the Haitian police in tackling gang violence. However, this mission, which was initiated in mid-2024, has struggled to meet its personnel and funding goals and is transitioning toward a more proactive approach in gang repression.
Context & Previous Events
Previously, MSF had closed one of its emergency care centers in another area of Port-au-Prince last October due to ongoing violence. The organization’s work in Bel-Air started in 2022 but has been intermittently disrupted by escalating violence.
Haiti’s healthcare system is under severe strain, with approximately 60% of health facilities in the capital either closed or nonfunctioning, further complicating the situation in a country grappling with widespread gang control and humanitarian crises.
