The situation in Haiti is the climax of an escalation of violence that has been ongoing for years. An MSF survey showed that between 2022 and 2023, the mortality rate in Cité Soleil was exceptionally high. One in eight people were exposed to episodes of extreme violence such as murder, rape or lynching in the street.

The deteriorating humanitarian situation in Haiti has not been met with an adequate humanitarian response, especially for health, water and sanitation. The healthcare system is on the verge of collapse, with public hospitals no longer able to provide free care. Displaced people are living in unsafe and unsanitary conditions and require humanitarian support.

Port-au-Prince is being devastated by a wave of violence and insecurity that is causing a great number of injuries and large-scale displacement, while making it nearly impossible for patients to access medical care and for medical facilities to continue functioning.

Tabarre hospital increased its capacity by 50 per cent and another hospital has opened in Carrefour, while our Emergency Centre in Turgeau re-opened earlier than planned due to the recent escalation of violence.

Our response relies on our ability to ensure sufficient supplies for our hospitals; this ability is currently threatened by the blockage of our incoming medical supplies at the city port, due to the length of the custom clearance procedures and the disruption caused by the fighting. We are now urging the authorities to expedite said clearance and are trying to make sure these supplies are shipped to our medical facilities with the utmost urgency. It is essential that our teams are able to bring in supplies to continue responding to the growing health and humanitarian needs in Haiti.  

The airport also remains closed, making it impossible for supplies or staff to arrive by air. We are exploring all options to move additional medical supplies and specialised staff into Haiti, to maintain and even further increase our activities.

Since 2021, political instability and armed group violence have reached intolerable levels in Haiti. The Viv Ansanm (‘living together’) alliance, composed of armed groups that had previously fought each other, has gained control of approximately 85 per cent of the capital, Port-au-Prince.* In these neighbourhoods, thousands of residents are completely cut off from basic services such as electricity, water, education, transport, and healthcare, and face the constant danger of being caught in deadly crossfire, with no means of escape.

Port-au-Prince has become a battleground, where violent clashes between these armed groups and the police, backed by community self-defence brigades, are a daily occurrence. In 2025, there was a marked escalation in violence, as private military contractors, whose weapons included explosive drones, were deployed in the city. At the same time, the UN Security Council took the decision to progressively send a 5,550-man ‘Gang Suppression Force’ to Haiti, replacing the previous Kenyan-led Multinational Support Mission. 

Haiti recorded 8,100 murders during the year.** Several major hospitals in Port-au-Prince are still closed due to attacks, looting, or insecurity, making access to healthcare extremely challenging. To date, more than 1.4 million people have been displaced, including nearly 400,000 in 2025 alone.***  Many live in informal sites, in dire conditions, without adequate water and sanitation facilities. 

Where possible, MSF continued to work in this volatile context, despite repeated security threats and incidents that disrupted our operations. On 15 March, we were forced to suspend our activities at Carrefour and Turgeau medical centres due to an upsurge in fighting in their immediate vicinity. As our teams were evacuating Turgeau on board an MSF convoy, our four clearly identified vehicles were shot at, at least 15 times, by a man in police uniform. Our colleagues sustained minor injuries, and we decided to suspend all patient referrals in MSF ambulances. Later in the year, in the absence of sustainable solutions to properly secure our Turgeau medical centre, we had to take the devastating decision to close it permanently, reducing healthcare options even further for people in the city.  

Treatment for violence-related injuries 

MSF continued to respond to the consequences of armed violence in the capital. During 2025, our medical team in Cité Soleil treated people with violence-related injuries, half of which were gunshot wounds. In our Tabarre trauma and burns hospital, we had to increase our bed capacity from 75 to 90, in order to accommodate the growing number of wounded patients arriving every day.

On 20 September, many wounded patients arrived at Cité Soleil hospital and Isaïe Jeanty maternity hospital, where we also work, following a drone attack in Cité Soleil neighbourhood. The majority of the patients were children and women.  

Comprehensive care for sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV)

The escalation in conflict in Port-au-Prince has led to a steep increase in the number of SGBV cases, and in the brutality of the attacks. Since 2021, the Pran Men’m clinic we opened a decade ago to provide comprehensive medical and psychological support for victims and survivors of SGBV has seen a threefold rise in the number of patients.**** An increasing number of them have reported being assaulted several times in their life, and by multiple aggressors, and that it is becoming more and more difficult to obtain proper care in a timely manner.

We also continued to run our SGBV-related services at Drouillard hospital, in Carrefour, and at Port-à-Piment maternity hospital. In 2025, we also started offering them at Isaïe Jeanty maternity hospital. 

Sexual and reproductive health services

The maternal death rate in Haiti remains alarmingly high. South department has one of the highest rates, at 344 deaths per 100,000 births.*****  This is due to a number of factors, such as the lack of functional healthcare facilities, insecurity, and high transport costs, which prevent many women from seeking care.

In response, MSF works in partnership with the Ministry of Public Health and Population, offering emergency obstetric and neonatal services in Port-à-Piment. Our teams assist with births, including those requiring specialist care. To improve maternal healthcare in Port-au-Prince, MSF contributed to the reopening of Isaïe Jeanty maternity hospital, which closed during a wave of violence in 2024. Since March 2025, we have been working with the Ministry of Public Health and Population and other partners to offer assistance with births, outpatient consultations, and contraceptives. We also carried out significant rehabilitation work on the building to increase the bed capacity of the maternity ward.

* Security Council Report: https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/monthly-forecast/2025-07/haiti-31.php 

** United Nations: https://docs.un.org/en/S/2026/31 

*** International Organization for Migration: https://dtm.iom.int/haiti 

**** MSF: https://www.msf.org/report-sexual-and-gender-based-violence-port-au-prince 

***** Haiti Ministry of Public Health and Population: https://oldwebsite.mspp.gouv.ht/wp-content/uploads/Presentation-Annuaire-Statistique-2023-final-191224-12.pdf (in French)