March 6, United Nations (Xinhua) — A UN spokeswoman stated on Wednesday that all flights into and out of Haiti are still canceled and that the situation in Port-au-Prince is highly precarious due to the ongoing intermittent attacks.
In a secret meeting on Wednesday afternoon, the Security Council heard a briefing from Maria Isabel Salvador, the director of the United Nations mission in Haiti.
The top spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Stephane Dujarric, stated that “the secretary-general reiterates the need for urgent action, including financing for the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission, to tackle the security needs of the people of Haiti.”
According to Dujarric, Guterres reaffirmed his demand for the Haitian government and all other relevant parties to put aside their disagreements and work on forging a shared path toward the restoration of democratic institutions.
Ariel Henry, the prime minister of Haiti, is reportedly waiting to return home in Puerto Rico, according to the spokesperson.
Henry was on his way back from Nairobi, where he had signed an agreement to send a police force to Haiti, where he would lead the MSS in supporting Haitian police against gangs that controlled large areas of the Caribbean country.
In Henry’s absence, widespread violence broke out in the capital city over the weekend, including an attack on the jails and airport in Port-au-Prince that allegedly led to the freeing of thousands of detainees.
According to claims that were made public from Haiti, gang leaders were requesting that Henry quit.
Dujarric stated that the most of the 15,000 newly displaced persons are women and children. “Our colleagues who focus on humanitarian affairs say that thousands of civilians continue to be caught up in the violence in the capital Port-au-Prince and beyond,” the spokesperson added.
“Displaced families are traumatized,” he stated. “Access to food, healthcare, water and hygiene facilities, and psychological support are among the most urgent needs for civilians in Port-au-Prince.”
According to him, activities have been seriously interrupted by the rising violence, but the UN and its humanitarian partners are still providing emergency aid.
“Our humanitarian colleagues also advised they’re concerned about the impact of the violence on hospitals, health centers and schools in Port-au-Prince, and some other neighboring areas in Haiti,” added the spokesperson. “The infrastructure supporting health care is about to crumble. The primary public hospital in Port-au-Prince has closed as a result of violence and staff members’ incapacity to reach the facility in order to assist those in need.”
According to Dujarric, the primary hospitals that treat injured civilians are overburdened, in part because of the volume of injuries. The nation has an immediate need for blood products.
He said that Medicins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) had announced the opening of a new medical facility in the Port-au-Prince area of Carrefour.
“Humanitarian organizations need unhindered access to the most vulnerable people now,” Dujarric stated.
Following the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021, Henry took over as leader of state.
Unlike a typical UN peacekeeping mission, the MSS is not a UN mission despite being approved by the UN Security Council. It is intended to support law enforcement, and funding for it has been established.