2026-01-12

OPERATIONS AFTER JANUARY 6 CLASHES Medecins Sans Frontieres issued an alert on January 11 reporting that clashes between the Haitian National Police and armed groups in Bel Air on January 6 forced MSF to suspend operations in the area. Seven community health workers were trapped during the clashes but eventually escaped. One former community volunteer was struck by a stray bullet and died due to lack of prompt medical attention. MSF stated that only 40 percent of medical institutions in the capital remain operational. The organization urged all parties to uphold the sanctity of medical establishments, respect healthcare personnel, and safeguard patients and civilians. This represents a public rebuke of both gangs targeting facilities and PNH operations producing civilian casualties through stray bullets. January 12, 2026 The 40 percent healthcare capacity threshold creates severe shortages for routine medical care including injuries, childbirth, and chronic diseases. Port-au-Prince, with a population of 2.6 million, faces no trauma care in gang-controlled areas for gunshot wounds and explosion injuries. The suspension of MSF mobile medical operations in Bel Air eliminates healthcare access in one of the last functioning services in gang-controlled neighborhoods. This aligns with the BINUH October report noting that 22 percent of casualties during security force operations were residents struck by stray bullets at home or during daily activities. With 26 days until February 7, any violence escalation from resumed gang attacks or intensified PNH operations will produce mass casualties with no medical response capacity. The healthcare collapse compounds Haiti's multidimensional crisis ahead of the February 7 constitutional deadline. The 350,000 Haitians facing TPS deportation on February 3 may return to a country with no functional healthcare system. The CPT and government lack capacity to respond to public health emergencies including disease outbreaks or natural disasters. The MSF alert that violence during security measures is affecting healthcare facilities and the civilian population directly criticizes PNH operations for indiscriminate effects. The organization's statement represents the first institutional humanitarian actor to publicly document the January 6 Bel Air clashes and their impact on medical services during the operational pause period.