Hundreds displaced, medical services suspended amid gang violence in Haiti | Conflict News
Aid Group Suspends Hospital Operations Amid Growing Gang Violence in Haiti
By Reuters and The Associated Press
May 11, 2026
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres, MSF) announced the suspension of its hospital services in Haiti’s capital due to safety concerns arising from increasing gunfire in the area.
The organization reported that approximately 800 individuals sought refuge at its hospital in the Cite Soleil neighborhood prior to the suspension. MSF’s statement underscored that “currently, not a single hospital is open in the area where the fighting is taking place,” while acknowledging a substantial need for medical care. The safety of both staff and patients could not be ensured, particularly after a security guard was struck by a stray bullet on the premises.
Intense clashes between rival gangs, which have gained control over significant portions of Port-au-Prince since the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021, have exacerbated violence and placed immense pressure on the civilian population. Efforts by local authorities to mitigate the situation have largely been ineffective.
In a related development, the nearby Hopital Fontaine informed Reuters that it had evacuated newborns from its intensive care unit due to the escalating violence. MSF facilitated the transfer of some patients from that hospital, including several pregnant women who delivered overnight.
A contingent of foreign troops arrived in Haiti in April as part of a United Nations-backed initiative aimed at suppressing gang activity, yet previous interventions have yielded limited results in addressing the ongoing insecurity.
56-year-old Monique Verdieux described her plight to the Associated Press, stating, “I am now sleeping in the street,” expressing fear of returning home after witnessing gunmen set buildings ablaze in her neighborhood. Others who have been displaced by violence are seeking refuge along the road to Toussaint Louverture Airport.
