Haiti: MSF denounces unbearable "ordinary violence" after killing of staff member

 

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, May 27, 2021—A staff member of the Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Tabarre trauma hospital was attacked and struck by a gunshot on his way home from work on the evening of May 25, even though he did not resist his attackers.

He was rushed back to the hospital, but he was dead on arrival. A father of three children, he is now one more victim of the chronic violence that is affecting all of Haitian society, which has been increasing for years. MSF mourns his death and denounces the violence.

"Moise was our colleague and our friend, and now he is another victim of the chronic violence in Haiti," said Aline Serin, MSF head of mission in Haiti. "The hospital where he worked takes care of patients with life-threatening injuries, based solely on the severity of their medical needs."

MSF reopened its Tabarre trauma hospital in November 2019 during high tensions and protests over Haiti's political, economic and social crises, which continue today. Since then, MSF has admitted 2,200 patients, 65 percent of whom are victims of the chronic violence affecting Port-au-Prince. These figures represent only a part of the many victims of insecurity in the country.

"What can the Haitian people still hope for, when insecurity becomes the norm, when you risk your life going to work or leaving your home?" Serin said. "This ordinary, indiscriminate, normalized violence is unbearable."

MSF has worked in Haiti for 30 years. Today, MSF's activities are focused on treating patients with severe and life-threatening medical needs due to violence, burns, traffic accidents or sexual violence.