Published on: 04/29/2022 – 23:46
Since Sunday April 24, suburbs in the north-east of the Haitian capital have been the scene of a real war between two gangs for control of this area called Plaine du Cul-de-Sac. The injured are numerous. Some arrive at a hospital run by the French NGO Doctors Without Borders in a neighborhood not far from the fighting, with their lives in danger.
The Médecins Sans Frontières hospital in Tabarre, a district east of the capital Port-au-Prince, specializes in traumatology and the treatment of severe burns. But the work of the surgeons in the last few days has been shaped almost exclusively by war medicine. “Most of the patients who come to us are gunshot wounds, which are injuries to the limbs or abdomen,” said Mumuza Muhindo, MSF’s director of operations in Haiti.
It all started at dawn on Sunday April 24th, when members of the 400 Mawozo armed group attacked several locations on the Plaine du Cul-de-Sac to evict another gang called Chiens wicked. “When people wanted to leave the churches, they were caught in a vise,” explains Mumuza Muhindo. The first bullet wounds arrived at the MSF hospital shortly afterwards: “There were many women and many children. This shows the level of public exposure and the risks civilians are taking in this situation. »
The influx of wounded has not stopped since Sunday. “Our hospital has a capacity of 70 beds. And now almost everyone is busy. Usually we have about ten recordings a day. There we went to about twenty cases a day,” says Mumuza Muhindo.
► Also read: Gang war north of Port-au-Prince: “People are being killed, houses are being burned down”
terrible dilemma
However, these exceptional figures are probably far from reflecting the real situation in neighborhoods such as Santo, Marin, Bon Repos, Shada, Croix-des-Missions or Butte Boyer. Because many injured people cannot be taken to the hospital. “The gangs set up barricades in the streets. Ambulances can no longer pass, neither can private cars,” reports the MSF operations manager.
Families who have a gunshot wound in their ranks then face a terrible dilemma, Mumuza Muhindo continues: “Let that loved one die or risk their life by taking them to the hospital. “Some are taking the risk and coming to Médecins Sans Frontières in Tabarre. For others, leaving the house is simply impossible as the clashes rage between the two gangs.
From these places, where automatic bursts of fire rang out day and night, the MSF team received calls for help. “There are families who call us. And we advise them on how to deal with it. All these wounded people who are isolated at home may have to wait a few more days before they can be treated,” Mumuza Muhindo fears, “with all the complications that this entails for their health.”
The gang war affects the functioning of the hospital in Tabarre. Twenty MSF workers have also been affected by the violence and have been unable to come to work since Sunday “due to gunfire all around the houses. For example, one of our colleagues spent the night at home to avoid stray bullets,” reports the helper. Médecins sans frontières reminds us: As in all armed conflicts, civilians must be spared and have access to medical care.