BEIJING, April 23 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) warned on April 22 that 58,000 children suffering from severe malnutrition could not receive assistance due to the intensification of gang violence in Haiti, the capital Port-au-Prince was almost completely blocked by armed gangs. International aid groups say Haiti's hospitals are struggling to sustain themselves with fuel and medical supplies.
Catherine Russell, executive director of UNICEF, said at a discussion held by the United Nations Security Council on the situation in Haiti on the 22nd that two-thirds of Haitian children are in need of assistance, that women and girls are being targeted by armed groups for indiscriminate "extreme" sexual violence, and that nearly three to fifty percent of armed groups have children involved.
A woman walks on the streets of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, with fruit on her head, on August 24, 2021. Xinhua News Agency (photo by David Delapas)
"The situation in Haiti is catastrophic and getting worse by the day. Port-au-Prince is almost completely blocked. She said.
The UN Special Representative in Haiti, Maria Isabel Salvador, said that nearly 100,000 people had fled Port-au-Prince since 8 March due to increased gang violence.
El Salvador said the United Nations has called on the international community to raise $674 million in humanitarian aid for Haiti, with only 8 percent in place, and "nearly half of Haitians are currently facing severe food insecurity."
Reuters, citing sources familiar with the matter, reported that Haiti's main fuel import terminal was suspended on the 22nd, and armed groups seized trucks and demanded the closure of the port.
This is a street scene taken in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on August 14, 2021. Xinhua News Agency (photo by Richard Pierin)
"Fuel is running out," Carl Scow, deputy executive director of the World Food Programme, said earlier on the 22nd, "a ship is on its way, and if it can dock to unload, it will be safe." But time is running out. ”
Due to the blockade, most businesses in Haiti have limited access to electricity, many hospitals and radio stations have been forced to shut down, and transportation has come to a standstill.
Rachel Lavigne, a doctor at Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), said: "We have very few medicines that patients really need. Everything is falling apart. "With increased gang violence and the control and blockade of Port-au-Prince and beyond, medicines are slowly running out and some containers full of critical supplies are still stuck in port.
Jacob Burns, project coordinator at Médecins Sans Frontières, warned that people's health is deteriorating due to lack of access to the daily medicines they need.
A soldier is on duty next to Haitian President Jovenel Moïse at the residence of Haitian President Joven Moïse in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, July 7, 2021. Haitian President Joffnell Moïse was assassinated at his home that day. Xinhua News Agency (photo by Kutan)
Located in the south of Port-au-Prince, the University Hospital for Peace is one of the few hospitals that currently relies mainly on generators for its operations. From 29 February to 15 April, about 200 gun-wounded people were admitted here, and the beds remained full. Director Paul Fontilus said: "We urgently need fuel, otherwise the hospital will be closed. ”
According to the Associated Press, even when a hospital is open, there are sometimes no medical staff. Because of the almost daily gang violence in Port-au-Prince, doctors and nurses are sometimes forced to stay at home and turn back if they run into armed gangs on their way to work.
Every day in Cité Soleil, near Port-au-Prince, dozens of people line up in front of a hospital run by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) every day, risking being shot by gangs. Burns said that even if they were able to enter the hospital, they would have to be triaged first, and only the 50 people with the most serious injuries would be able to see them, and those who were less urgent would have to come back another day.
According to a recent United Nations report, gang violence killed and injured more than 2,500 people in Haiti from January to March, an increase of more than 50 percent over the same period last year. (Liu Jiang)