Brutal gangs fight for control of Haiti’s capital as the population starves – and cholera spreads. More than 30 people have already died. The government has now procured safety equipment.
Cholera patients at the Gheskio Center Hospital in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on October 14, 2022.
(dpa)
The United States and Canada have sent armored vehicles and other equipment to the Caribbean crisis-hit Haiti to help police fight gang violence. The Haitian government bought the security equipment, which was brought to the capital Port-au-Prince on US and Canadian military planes, the US State Department said on Saturday (local time).
Haiti is the poorest country on the American continent and has suffered from corruption, violence and natural disasters for years. Since the devastating earthquake in 2010 that killed more than 220,000 people, Haiti has been on the drip of development aid. Now the country threatens to plunge into complete chaos: gangs have been fighting brutally for control of the capital for more than a year. Thousands of people are starving. The interim government of Haiti recently asked the United Nations for help from an armed international force.
Almost three dozen cholera deaths
In addition, there has been another outbreak of cholera in the past few days. The health authorities in the Caribbean crisis-ridden country of Haiti have reported almost three dozen deaths following the recent outbreak of cholera – the Pan-American Health Organization (Paho) has now announced help. The Paho supported the Haitian Ministry of Health and international partners in setting up cholera treatment centers in the affected areas, Paho Director Carissa Etienne said in a video on Saturday (local time).
The World Health Organization (WHO), citing the local health authorities, announced on Friday (local time) that 35 people have died from the infectious disease so far. In addition, 47 confirmed cases and 560 suspected cases were registered. Most of the infections and victims were in the prison in the capital, Port-au-Prince.
Haiti is the poorest country on the American continent and has suffered from corruption, violence and natural disasters for years. Since the devastating earthquake in 2010 that killed more than 220,000 people, Haiti has been on the drip of development aid. Now the country threatens to plunge into complete chaos: gangs have been fighting brutally for control of the capital for more than a year. Thousands of people are starving.
A cholera epidemic broke out in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake. According to estimates by experts, Nepalese UN peacekeepers brought the disease into the country at the time. Over 9300 people died from the infectious disease. It was only years later that the United Nations acknowledged its “moral responsibility” towards the victims.