Haiti's government on Thursday said it would extend a state of emergency around Port-au-Prince for another month following a wave of gang violence that has threatened to bring down the government and led thousands to flee their homes.
The U.N. humanitarian affairs agency on Thursday warned that the country's health system was "nearing collapse," with shortages of staff, equipment, beds, drugs and blood to treat patients with gunshot wounds.
Two dozen trucks carrying vital equipment, medical supplies and food were stuck at the capital's port, according to the U.N.'s World Food Programme (WFP), which said it had suspended its maritime transport service, citing the "insecurity."
Authorities first announced a state of emergency on Sunday after fighting escalated, inmates were broken out of prison by armed gangs, and an estimated tens of thousands were displaced while Prime Minister Ariel Henry was in Kenya, seeking its leadership of an international force intended to fight the gangs.
The state of emergency in the Ouest Department, the seat of the capital, will be extended to April 3, with a nightly curfew until March 11, according to a declaration in the Caribbean country's official gazette. The government said this was in order to "reestablish order and take appropriate measures to retake control of the situation."
The state of emergency bans all public protests, day and night, and allows security forces to use "all legal means" at their disposal to enforce the curfew and apprehend those who break it, the government said, adding emergency services, security forces and some journalists will be exempt from curfew.
@ISIDEWITH2mos2MO
How would you feel if your local hospital couldn't treat you due to a lack of resources, like what's happening in Haiti?
@9KJYKN7 2mos2MO
Nationalize the Medical Industry.
Although this is not a direct response to the prompt, it is a solution which would work. Capitalism is unstable, and unpredictable.
In the event of any sort of disaster or tragedy, a privatized industry is not prepared. They are not under any sort of guidelines to be prepared to any sort of disaster. Also, the government could regulate what happens, and how the hospital is run. This would easily prevent issues like this from happening. Although in Haiti, the people and the government are largely in poverty. So, it may be difficult to implement something like this. But that is a topic of discussion for another time: 'Should we spend resources on other countries even if it doesn't benefit us?'
@9KNVT2GRepublican2mos2MO
In a situation where patients would have to forgo treatment or receive subpar medical care, it would be a tragedy.
@9KNVSY3Women’s Equality2mos2MO
I think Haiti should increase their fund to hospitals for research, that way citizens can get the care they need
@9KNVL9R2mos2MO
I think it's horrible that a person can't get medical treatment when they really need it just because they can't afford to pay the hospital's high costs.
@ISIDEWITH2mos2MO
Imagine you are injured and the nearest help is stuck at a port due to violence; what thoughts and feelings would that evoke in you?
@9KPD83MIndependent2mos2MO
I would be pissed because I need help, but also understand that there is violence.
I think the most prominent thought that would evoke out of me from the situation would be pure terror if i was majorly injured and unable to get the help i need.
@9KP27VS2mos2MO
Anger because they are potentially killing another life
@ISIDEWITH2mos2MO
@SheepishGr4ssrootsGreen2mos2MO
It's quite amusing how we find ourselves engaged in a distant war while a conflict is unfolding right in our vicinity, yet we seem to be turning a blind eye. Let's face the reality here: If all the nations of NATO were to unite and extend their collective efforts towards Haiti, they could likely resolve the situation there more swiftly than the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia. Given that the gangs in Haiti are fragmented, we could systematically address the issue by sweeping through the country, segment by segment, and simultaneously provide employment opportunities to the local populace along the way.
@NobleFerretDemocrat2mos2MO
The US has tried to help for decades just like we tried to help Afghanistan. It’s hard to beat all the corruption and violence.
@BrightWaspGreen2mos2MO
The complication is Haiti's anti-imperial identity will make aid from NATO be perceived as a European takeover by many, leading to pushback that could possibly lead to open rebellion.
Imo, Haiti is a lost cause. The only ones who can fix Haiti is Haiti itself. The most NATO should do is get people who want to escape the violence in Haiti out.
"gang violence" is a terrible term to describe what's going on in haiti
They don't have a government at the moment and almost no formal employment
All inner economy of haiti is informal meaning it's street venders and farmers exchanging either coins or produce
Theres literally no government there and the internationally recognized prime minister wasn't elected but was part of the government before it finally completely collapsed but even then he has nothing to govern. Haiti has no structure and they have local police chiefs and gang leaders calling the shots simultaneously in warring sections ; all are basically warlords
Gang violence is what Chicago has haiti is post apocalypticShow less
@MindC0ngressDemocrat2mos2MO
Someone I know who is a Haitian national who now lives here. He tried to open up a small business in Port-au-Prince with the idea of employing people and providing them with an honorable income. Unfortunately, that business did not last more than a couple of years before the gangs took over and got my friend arrested on false charges. I know for a fact that my friend is an honorable human being, which makes it all the more infuriating.
I grew up in South Florida and met so many Haitians. I don't think I ever met one that I didn't like. They were all kind, empathetic, hard-working people. God bless Haiti and help them to get through these tough times.
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