Ambulance Attack in Haiti Leaves Patients Dead, MSF Reports

The humanitarian organization highlights ongoing risks to medical care in Haiti after police and vigilantes assault ambulance, resulting in fatalities.

In a distressing report, the charitable organization Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) revealed that two of its patients were killed after an ambulance carrying them was attacked in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The incident occurred on Monday when the ambulance, transporting three patients with gunshot wounds, was intercepted by police. Authorities directed the crew to a public hospital instead of their intended MSF facility.

Upon arrival at the hospital, the ambulance was targeted by police officers and suspected members of a self-defense group. The attackers reportedly slashed the vehicle’s tires and forced the occupants out while deploying tear gas. MSF revealed that the wounded patients were forcibly taken away from the hospital site, leading to "at least two of them being executed," as stated by the group.

The current status of the third patient remains uncertain, but the organization reported that its ambulance staff faced severe aggression during this attack. Medical teams were "violently attacked, insulted, tear-gassed, threatened with death," and held captive for over four hours before being released. The motivations behind this brutal assault remain unclear.

Christophe Garnier, head of the MSF mission in Haiti, expressed alarm over the incident, calling it "a shocking display of violence" that threatens the charity’s capacity to provide critical medical care in Haiti. MSF is one of the few remaining humanitarian NGOs active in the country, which has seen a rise in violence and instability following the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021. Since then, gangs have gained significant power, leading to increased street violence in the nation, which is already the poorest in the Americas.

A recent UN Security Council briefing highlighted that criminal gangs now control approximately 85% of Port-au-Prince. The UN reports over 3,600 deaths in Haiti this year alone, with more than half a million people forced from their homes due to escalating conflicts.

In response to the deteriorating situation, the UN has initiated an international policing operation in Haiti, predominantly staffed by Kenyan police, which aims to stabilize important sites, including the national hospital and airport. Despite these efforts, several US airlines have suspended flights to Haiti after gunfire incidents involving departing and arriving planes at the airport.

Adding to the political turmoil, Haiti recently swore in a new Prime Minister, Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, who has pledged to prioritize security restoration in the country amid the ongoing lethal unrest.