Since the 7 July 2021 assassination of Jovenel Moïse, president-elect, and the fall of state institutions, Haiti has been living in a crisis that has affected Haitians across the country.
During the last three years, gangs have committed acts of vandalism, such as kidnappings, robberies, fires, and many others. The gangs launched attacks in peaceful areas of the capital, looting homes and forcing people to flee for their lives, displacing more than 350,000 people within Port-au-Prince, the capital city, since January 2023.
A vast majority of the displaced take refuge in schools or public parks. The Nazarene seminary campus also has been serving as a shelter for 59 displaced persons.
According to civil rights organizations operating in the country, the gangs currently control more than 80% of Port-au-Prince.
Gangs continue to affect the current administration. The international airport has been closed. On 2 March, criminal gangs launched an attack on the capital’s two largest prisons, freeing more than 5,000 prisoners. The government of Haiti (what remains of it) declared a state of emergency for a month and imposed, with immediate effect, a curfew to restore order.
The primary market within the capital, Marché Salomon, was looted and set on fire, as well as a nearby police station, forcing the police to retreat.
The street demonstrations and violence that began on 3 February 2024 have led to the closure of all public and private schools in the capital. Many of the state buildings and infrastructure were looted and set on fire by the gangs, keeping them closed.
Several banks in the capital were also vandalized, and two major private hospitals in the capital were set on fire, forcing patients to leave. Most gas stations remain closed.
The brutal attacks and crime incidents have resulted in a severe shortage of food products, and the price of food has increased considerably.
“In addition to insecurity, the Haitian population is now going hungry more than ever,” said Ephraim Lindor, coordinator of Nazarene Compassionate Ministries in Haiti.
Persecuted by the gangs, several of the local Nazarene churches closed their doors, and the members dispersed. Many have left the capital for villages where they have relatives. Those with nowhere to go took refuge in public parks or schools.
According to Lindor, NCM Haiti is working on short as well as long-term plans to help its communities, while also knocking on the doors of other institutions to join them in helping those most affected.
NCM Haiti requests prayer for the following:
- Pray that God will raise wholehearted leaders to lead the country.
- Pray for peace to return soon.
- Pray for the field office in Haiti and specifically for NCM.
- Pray for pastors whose churches are closed and whose members are scattered.
Source: Ephraim Lindor, Haiti NCM Coordinator – March 11, 2024
Picture: Guerinault Louis/Anadolu/picture alliance
