The medical aid organization Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has suspended its operations in the capital of Haiti, Port-au-Prince, following a violent attack on its staff and the alleged killing of two patients who were being treated by the Haitian police.
This incident happened last week as violence continues to escalate in the country.
An estimated 25 people were killed in Port-au-Prince on Tuesday alone in an incident that the police said thwarted an attack by gangs in a wealthy area.
Politically, the situation remains critical as interim Prime Minister Garry Conille was fired this month by the country’s ruling body – less than six months after taking office.
MSF says that on November 11, one of its ambulances carrying three young men with gunshot wounds was stopped by the Haitian police.
Apparently supported by the security team, the men attacked the car, took out two patients, took them outside the hospital premises and killed themselves.
The human rights group condemned the violence in a strong statement last week, saying that its workers were shot with tear gas for several hours against their will.
While that incident appears to be the last straw for MSF in Port-au-Prince, at least for now, it was not the only recent example of extreme violence against their staff.
The announcement comes amid heightened violence in Haiti as 25 suspects were killed in the capital on Tuesday.
Police said residents helped police fight off attempted attacks in the upscale Pétion-Ville neighborhood.
The neighborhood was cordoned off after residents blocked the streets, some armed with machetes and makeshift weapons, in an effort to stop gang attacks.
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