Vital aid containers at Haitian port looted as gangs seize funds, UN says

The United Nations children’s agency said on Saturday (local time) that an aid container containing “maternal, newborn and child survival essentials” had been looted at its main port in Haiti as criminal gangs increasingly take control of the capital.

Haiti is grappling with a long-running political and humanitarian crisis that UNICEF warns is causing record levels of hunger and life-threatening malnutrition in parts of the capital, Port-au-Prince.

Unelected Prime Minister Ariel Henry said this week he would resign once a transitional council is in place. Heavily armed gangs have taken over much of the city, and human rights groups report widespread killings, kidnappings and sexual violence.

Unicef ​​said one of its 17 containers was looted at the port of Port-au-Prince, with armed groups taking control of 260 humanitarian-owned containers.

“The looting of children of life-saving essentials must stop immediately,” Bruno Metz, UNICEF representative in Haiti, said in a statement. “This incident occurs at a critical time when children need them most.”

UNICEF said the supplies in the looted containers included resuscitators and related equipment. The agency warned that three quarters of women in the Port-au-Prince region lack access to basic health care and nutrition.

Additionally, in Port-au-Prince, some hospitals were forced to close due to safety concerns, with only two surgical facilities still operating, according to UNICEF.

UNICEF added that shortages of electricity, fuel and medical supplies affected hospitals across the country, with six out of 10 facilities unable to function.