Haiti is still awaiting the deployment of the first Kenyan police officers to try to restore security in the capital Port-au-Prince, ravaged by gangs. Their arrival is planned in “ a three-week horizon », Estimated on Saturday May 24, Kenyan President William Ruto in an interview with the BBC. In the meantime, these armed gangs are increasing their shows of force by destroying official buildings such as police stations that have fallen into their hands. Insecurity is jeopardizing the operations of Doctors Without Borders (MSF), which has not been able to import medicines and medical equipment since mid-March. The NGO is launching an appeal to facilitate the delivery of these materials and medicines to the population. Mikaël Ponge spoke with Mumuza Muhindo, MSF head of mission in Haiti.
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RFI: Who is the appeal you are making addressed to?
Mumuza Muhindo : This appeal is addressed to anyone who has the capacity to provide free access to the airport and the port of the capital. Some health facilities have medicines blocked at the port, but they do not have access to recover them. The few medications available therefore risk deteriorating because they are no longer packaged according to standards.
What do you ask customs for?
Mumuza Muhindo : We ask customs to relax the customs clearance process, because the process is long and elastic. We also ask all those who are active in the conflict to facilitate the work of customs because customs officers themselves need security to be able to operate. This means that customs officers can arrive at the port without being disturbed, and that there is easy access to the airport so that medicines can be transported quickly, because the need is enormous.
Today, the rapid source of supply is air transport. We therefore need the airport to be able to reopen easily and quickly and for access to be easy and worry-free.
We want the seaports to be as functional and easy to access, so that not only cargo ships coming from outside, but also food coming from the provinces, can arrive in this capital which is strangled and lacks everything.
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In recent days, there has nevertheless been a timid recovery, both at the airport and the port. Does this give you hope for an improvement in the situation?
It is still too insufficient because the level of access to health care services in Port-au-Prince is very alarming. Only 20% of health structures are functioning normally. The few health structures that operate do so at very reduced capacity due to insecurity and lack of financial resources, but also due to a lack of health personnel who struggle to show up at their workplace. Added to this is the lack of medicines because stocks are insufficient and the materials have been looted.
Does this hamper your ability to take action?
We believe that what we are doing today is little compared to the needs of the population. If we only take the months of March and April 2024, we made at least 9,025 outpatient consultations through mobile clinics, among which we treated 4,966 urgent cases, including 870 gunshot wounds, mostly civilians who caught projectiles or lost bullets. These are women, children and even elderly people who are not spared. We treated 740 victims of road accidents because people who leave their homes leave in a hurry, and this leads to many accidents.
We also identify dozens of rape victims every week. This is a truly alarming situation.