Port-au-Prince gang clashes force MSF to evacuate Cité Soleil hospital

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has withdrawn staff from its hospital in Cité Soleil, Port-au-Prince, and halted operations there after heavy clashes between rival armed groups left the facility exposed to sustained gunfire.

The humanitarian agency said fighting broke out on the morning of Sunday, May 10, in Cité Soleil and Croix des Bouquets and carried on for more than 24 hours. Medical teams kept treating a sharp rise in wounded people while working in conditions the organisation described as dangerous.

"In just 12 hours, our teams treated more than 40 people with gunshot wounds," said Davina Hayles, MSF head of mission in Haiti.

Hayles said one of the organisation's security guards was hit by a stray bullet inside the hospital compound during the violence. "We managed to evacuate him, and he is now in stable condition, but it is unthinkable that our teams and civilians should become victims of these clashes," she said.

As the fighting worsened, more than 800 people took shelter at the MSF hospital, among them Cité Soleil residents, staff, and their families with nowhere else to escape the gunfire. "In addition, several hundred inhabitants of Cité Soleil, as well as our colleagues and their families, have sought refuge in our hospital, having no other option to shelter from the gunfire," Hayles added.

MSF teams also cared for patients sent from Fontaine Hospital, including pregnant women who delivered overnight between Sunday and Monday. The organisation said no hospitals are currently operating in the area where the fighting is taking place.

Citing what it called an unprecedented level of violence, MSF said it had no choice but to evacuate the site and temporarily suspend all medical work in Cité Soleil until further notice. "Our goal is to protect our patients and our staff," Hayles said. "It is impossible for us to provide care in the midst of gunfire. A hospital where staff are not safe cannot function."

Although it described the shutdown as temporary, MSF warned that medical needs in Cité Soleil and across Port-au-Prince remain severe and are growing as insecurity deepens. It urged all sides in the conflict to safeguard healthcare workers and civilians.

MSF has worked in Haiti for 35 years and remains one of the country's main humanitarian medical providers. Last year its teams recorded 129,458 medical consultations, including nearly 13,000 for children under five. The organisation also supported 2,812 deliveries, performed 8,469 surgical procedures, treated 3,419 people for violence-related injuries, and provided care for 4,975 victims and survivors of sexual violence. MSF further reported 19,819 physical therapy sessions in Haiti during the same period.