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Chaos and fear determine everyday life in Haiti,

especially in the capital Port-au-Prince.

People leave their neighborhoods to escape from criminal gangs.

The situation is particularly threatening in the poorest districts:

Tancred Stöbe, Doctors Without Borders:

»People can no longer move freely there.

They also isolate themselves from everything at night.

They barricade the streets where they live.

But they are no longer safe.

We are seeing more and more gunshot wounds in our clinics, which we then have to treat acutely.”

Haiti has long suffered from gang violence.

In the past few months, however, the situation has gotten drastically worse: while there were only a handful of gangs fighting each other there, there are now hundreds.

The notorious gang leader Jimmy “Barbecue” Cherizier has formed an alliance with other gangs and is talking about a bloody revolution.

Tancred Stöbe, Doctors Without Borders:

»Over 80% of the capital is under their control.

And it is no longer possible for the civilian population to understand what influence which gang has at the moment.

There's always a fight for every street, and it's becoming increasingly difficult for us, Doctors Without Borders, to actually keep track of things."

The gangs also loot hospitals; the violence makes it sometimes life-threatening for people to go to a clinic.

Tancred Stöbe, Doctors Without Borders:

»It's about life-threatening injuries that were provoked or caused by this gang violence.

And now they don't come to the hospital.

An ambulance system, an emergency doctor system as we know it in Germany, does not exist in Haiti anyway.

This means that you may have to take a taxi to a hospital at your own risk and at your own expense.

But they don't come there anymore.

This means that many patients no longer reach us or reach us too late because they simply cannot get through this completely blocked and violently barricaded city.

Those who make it are, for example, cared for in a small hospital here by Doctors Without

Borders

.

The area lies between two gang areas.

“Every day we see around 150 patients who come here with minor complaints and then we see around 20 emergencies who can come at any time of the day or night and are cared for here.”

One group in particular is at the mercy of gangs' arbitrary violence:


Tancred Stöbe, Doctors Without Borders:

»From our perspective, it is women who are suffering the most at the moment.

The numbers alone are worrying.

Last year we treated over 4,000 women after sexual violence - let's be clear - after rape.

And it's important for these women, or it's important for all of these victims, to get help within 72 hours if possible.

This means unwanted pregnancy prophylaxis, but also infection prophylaxis.

Surgical help is often required, and of course the psychological traumas are then dealt with.”

The people of the Caribbean island nation long for security and political stability, but that seems far away.

There have been no elections following the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021.

Interim Prime Minister Ariel Henry resigned on Tuesday.

An interim presidential council will appoint a successor.

Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation continues to worsen.

Tancred Stöbe, Doctors Without Borders:

"Our call goes out to the international community, to other aid organizations, to get involved in Haiti and especially in the poor neighborhoods, so that the medical need can at least be alleviated somewhat."