As armed clashes intensify in the capital, Port-au-Prince, between terrorists and law enforcement, Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières, or MSF) has admitted numerous wounded people, including women and children, to its hospitals. MSF urgently calls on the authorities and all stakeholders to spare civilians and ensure that all those who are wounded or ill have access to healthcare facilities, without discrimination.

Heavy gunfire and explosions caused by drones have escalated in the Plaine du Cul-de-Sac area, northeast of Port-au-Prince, following the disappearance on October 18, 2026, of four Salvadoran military technicians part of a gang-suppression force—after their vehicle was attacked by members of armed groups. https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-48701-haiti-flash-the-4-salvadoran-soldiers-from-the-burned-out-armored-vehicle-are-missing.html

Between October 18 and 26, 30 people wounded by gunfire or explosions from kamikaze drones were admitted to and treated at MSF hospitals in Tabarre and Cité Soleil.

"We are very concerned about this surge in violence in multiple densely populated neighbourhoods of the capital," says Davina Hayles, MSF head of mission in Haiti. "Among the victims, we have admitted multiple women and children, it is shocking to see them arriving at our hospitals, wounded by gunfire or explosions."

"We fear that this armed conflict will claim even more victims, and displace even more people in the coming days, particularly with the arrival of additional international security forces [...] Some of our locally based colleagues have themselves been forced to leave their homes and take refuge in MSF accommodations. It is imperative that civilians be protected and spared."

Due to the ongoing conflict, MSF has also observed that many patients have faced serious difficulties in reaching healthcare facilities.

"Some patients with gunshot wounds took several hours to reach our hospitals in Tabarre and Cité Soleil," explains Davina Hayles. "Roads and bridges are blocked, and any travel is extremely risky. In a capital city where the healthcare system has collapsed and many facilities are closed, it is essential to ensure there is access to functioning healthcare facilities like ours."

In the various neighborhoods affected by the armed conflict, MSF has also been forced to suspend its mobile clinics and the distribution of treated water.

"This is a double blow for our patients and for people who lack access to treated water in these neighbourhoods of the capital. At any moment, they could become direct or collateral victims, and on top of that, they find themselves deprived of access to healthcare and water. This situation is dreadful."

MSF /HL/ HaitiLibre