- Haiti gang violence crisis
- ICRC’s collaborative aid efforts
- Expanding humanitarian assistance in 2024
Director-General Robert Mardini of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) insists that armed violence in Haiti has reached a level where the organization cannot deliver humanitarian aid without collaborating with hundreds of groups.
Approximately 300 organizations are operational throughout Haiti, with gang control covering 80% of the capital, Port-au-Prince.
A significant number of medical facilities have halted operations due to gang violence.
Health personnel often face threats.
“During my 27 years of service with the ICRC, I have seldom witnessed such a pernicious and horrifying combination of detrimental elements afflicting shantytown communities,” he said, referring to the inundated streets of the impoverished neighborhood of Cité Soleil contaminated with sewage water.
“With endemic armed violence, people live in constant fear of the next clash, the next kidnapping,” he added.
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Numerous healthcare facilities have ceased operations due to insecurity, leaving substantial portions of the population without access to basic services.
Mr. Mardini recounted a conversation with a young physician at a clinic who claimed to be “performing miracles” using the most basic equipment available.
Due to rival gang control in significant portions of the capital, residents are often confined to their neighborhoods, unable to cross the “fault lines” that separate territories.
One man recounted pushing his heavily pregnant wife in a wheelbarrow through flooded streets to transfer her onto a motorbike for the final leg of the journey to the hospital for childbirth.
To access areas without state authority and plagued by armed factions, the ICRC maintains a “continuous dialogue” with these criminal organizations.
“We approach it methodically, zone by zone,” said Mr. Mardini, acknowledging that it’s impossible to engage with every group. The ICRC’s ability to assist Haitians depends on its reputation and acceptance among the local populace.
Mr. Mardini emphasizes the ICRC’s daily engagement with these criminals. He explained that due to the volatile nature of the gangs, any interruption can disrupt the dialogue. “Very often there is a lax chain of command within the groups and there is infighting.”
In response to the growing humanitarian needs in Haiti, the ICRC plans to expand its humanitarian efforts in 2024. This expansion includes improving the training of emergency health personnel and ambulance services for those most affected by violence. The number of hospitals supplied with medical resources to treat the injured will also increase.
Furthermore, he called upon the international community to “reverse the downward spiral of Haiti.” He stressed the ethical and moral responsibility to increase aid to Haiti when five million people rely on humanitarian assistance.
