Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
by Antonella Prenna
Port au Prince (Agenzia Fides) - "The intervention of the international community is urgent, otherwise a point of no return will be reached and the dead will be counted in the thousands - Father Massimo Miraglio, Camillian Missionary parish priest of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in the remote village of Purcine. The seriousness of the situation is such that it is necessary for the international community to take control of the situation and seriously intervene in this crisis that has been going on for so long but which in this last week has become enormous and is a cause of suffering and death for thousands of hundreds of people".
"We launch a strong appeal to the international community to intervene and put an end to this horrible state of violence" - insists the missionary. "Our appeal is also addressed to the Holy Father Francis, who loves Haiti so much, and to all Vatican diplomacy to put pressure the international community to intervene in Haiti as soon as possible".
"Since last week the situation in Haiti has unfortunately worsened - explains Father Maximus. Violent clashes between gangs have increased, as well as attacks against institutions and strategic places. In particular, the gangs attacked two prisons from which some 4,000 prisoners were released, criminals who are now free in the capital and who will undoubtedly increase the number of gang soldiers. Several police stations were attacked, burned and vandalized in the province, as well as at the northern exit of Port au Prince. In particular, in that of Bon Repos, in the Plain area where our Camillian hospital is located, a very important position for the hospital because it protected it, five police officers were murdered".
The missionary, who has been working on the Caribbean island for almost twenty years, highlights the serious precariousness that afflicts the population, trapped in daily confrontations and violence. "The state hospital in Port au Prince has given way and has been closed for some time", continues the Camillian. "The hospital of the Diocese of Port au Prince is located in the city center, in a very difficult place, an area disputed by gangs. It has been completely renovated recently and is well equipped. Our Foyer Saint-Camille, according to the latest news, is in serious difficulties but is open."
"Toussaint Louverture International Airport is currently closed for security reasons, after both the building and some parked planes suffered serious damage. The government has declared a state of emergency, but it is not yet known for how long, although this state of emergency does not correspond to the ability of political power to take the situation under control. Unfortunately, this is something fictitious, an image, which does not actually indicate the government's willingness to get out of these situations and face them seriously. All embassies, especially those of Canada and the United States, have asked their expatriates to leave the country immediately. The Ministry of Communication has been the object of acts of vandalism, as have the faculties of Agronomy and Veterinary Medicine, as well as the National Insurance Center."
"In this situation of total chaos in Port au Prince we have entire neighborhoods that are emptying, people fleeing from various neighborhoods without knowing where to go, several people injured during the clashes – concludes Father Miraglio. In the south of the province, in "Jérémie, despite the fact that all connections are completely cut off, the situation is quite calm, but there will undoubtedly be moments of conflict there too. Clashes are also recorded, especially in the north, in Cap Haitien, the second largest city in the country."
Given the deterioration of the security situation, in particular in the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince, the interim Prime Minister, Patrick Michel Boivert, has issued in recent days a statement regarding the decree launched by the government on March 3 in which declares a state of emergency "in the entire Department of the West for a renewable period of seventy-two hours, and in order to restore order and take appropriate measures to regain control of the situation". "The decree establishes a curfew throughout this territory between six in the evening and five in the morning on Monday 4th, Tuesday 5th, Wednesday 6th. This measure - continues the press release - does not apply to law enforcement officers on duty, firefighters, ambulance drivers, healthcare personnel and duly identified journalists. Consequently, the police have been ordered to use all legal means at their disposal to enforce the curfew and arrest all violators." .
The decision of the curfew was adopted in an attempt to protect the population from increasingly violent criminal acts perpetrated by armed gangs, which cause massive displacement of the population and consist, in particolar, of kidnappings and murders of peaceful citizens, violence against women and children, looting and theft of public and private property. Boivert also referred to the attacks perpetrated on the night of March 2, 2024 by armed gangs against the two largest prisons in the country, in La Capitale and Croix des Bouquets, which caused deaths and injuries among police and prison staff, the escape of dangerous prisoners and the vandalization of these facilities. (Agenzia Fides, 5/3/2024)
