PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Dressed in black and white, the crowd of angry teenagers squeezed into a narrow street in Haiti’s capital.
They stopped in front of a cemetery and hoisted a coffin onto their shoulders, tears rolling down some faces. “Viv Ansanm manje li!” they chanted loudly in Haitian Creole as they walked to and fro, the coffin swaying gently with their 16-year-old friend inside.
Their chant accused a gang coalition called Live Together of killing Jhon-Roselet Joseph. He was struck by a stray bullet earlier this month in his community of Solino, which gunmen have repeatedly attacked.
Finding closure for loved ones killed by gangs on a relentless rampage through Haiti’s capital and beyond is growing harder day by day in a challenging environment. The success of the international mission is not assured. According to Giles Clarke's account, the situation in Haiti has escalated to such an extent that it now resembles a war zone, with gangs controlling entire neighborhoods and streets being used as forward staging posts for attacks against key targets.
Six out of ten hospitals in Haiti are barely operational due to recent violence in Port-Au-Prince having deprived children of critical health supplies and medicine. The main seaport, previously in the hands of armed groups, is now operational with limited capacity. Containers filled with vital supplies have been held up or looted, as were many warehouses and pharmacies.
Violence has led to mass displacement, dangerous epidemics such as cholera and increasing malnutrition. Staff shortages are widespread with about 40% of all medical staff having left the country due to the extreme levels of insecurity. In some cases, hospitals have had to rely on generators for power which is expensive to feed and they also have no running water, as the main hospital pump is down.
The escalating violence has forced Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry to resign last month, handing power over to a transitional council. Haiti now awaits the deployment of a multinational security support force, led by Kenya. Contractors are furiously building temporary shelters for them near the airport, but they are likely to be only a few hundred in number. The gang leaders, meanwhile, have pledged to fight until the very last man to drive them out.
In an effort to restore order and help Haiti recover from its humanitarian crisis, a multi-national force is being sent. However, their success is not assured due to the complex nature of the situation. The international community must act quickly and effectively in order to bring stability back to Haiti and provide much needed aid to its people who are suffering immensely as a result of this crisis.
