Gang terror, famine, state of emergency… Daily life in Haiti is close to a “Mad Max scene,” according to UNICEF

Unbearable scenes of chaos. The situation in Haiti is “dire” and “almost beyond the scope of a movie.” Crazy Max “, a film depicting a post-apocalyptic future, UNICEF’s executive director said on Sunday. For weeks now, the Caribbean country, one of the poorest in the world, has been under the terror of gangs and plunged into a spiral of violence. “Many, many people are seriously suffering from hunger and malnutrition, and we are not able to provide them with sufficient help,” complained Katherine Russell in an interview with the American channel CBS.

Haiti has been the scene of a surge in violence by gangs that control entire areas of the country, including 80% of the capital Port-au-Prince, and are accused of widespread abuses including murder, rape and kidnapping for ransom. Haitians are awaiting the creation of a transitional presidential council following the announcement of the resignation of contested Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who is now in charge of current affairs. On Sunday, the curfew was extended until Wednesday in the Western department, which includes the capital. The state of emergency is due to end on April 3.

Unheard of “for decades”

“One way or another, we have to get the situation under control to get aid to Haiti,” argued Catherine Russell, citing a litany of disasters that have struck the country for nearly 15 years: “earthquakes, cholera, Covid…” The current situation is now “the worst anyone has seen in decades,” she said.

Kenya, which is due to send 1,000 police as part of a multinational security mission, said it would pause sending its men but said it would intervene once a presidential council is in place. Port-au-Prince airport, which UNICEF says has been taken over by gangs, remains closed. The UN mission in Haiti announced on Wednesday that it would quickly establish an “air bridge” between the country and the neighboring Dominican Republic by helicopter, in part to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid.

The capital’s main port has also been closed since March 7 due to acts of “sabotage and vandalism,” according to its operator, complicating the delivery of international aid. A UNICEF container “containing vital maternal, newborn and child health products” was looted at the port on Saturday, the UN agency said in a press release. “This incident comes at a critical time when children need it most,” added the UN body, which says more than three million of them are in need of humanitarian assistance, “the highest number ever recorded in the country.”

Washington evacuates about thirty of its citizens

“Children and their families suffer ongoing waves of brutal abuse at the hands of armed groups,” UNICEF deplored in a press release last week. According to him, at least 167 young men and women died from gunshot wounds last year.

The situation on the ground is so alarming that the UN has evacuated its non-essential staff and several countries have done the same with their diplomatic staff, including the European Union. The United States also announced Monday that it had airlifted more than 30 American citizens out of the country aboard a government-chartered flight that landed in Florida on Sunday. The plane took off from the country’s second city, Cap-Haitien, where the airport is open “periodically,” according to the American embassy. A week earlier, Washington had already evacuated some of its embassy staff and strengthened the teams responsible for its security.