PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti, Mar 18, CMC – The international medical humanitarian organisation, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said four of its vehicles were fired upon in Port-au-Prince, as it was evacuating staff from Turgeau emergency centre.
“We strongly condemn this intentional shooting, in which our staff suffered minor injuries. The evacuation from the centre was taken as a precautionary measure after brutal street fighting moved closer to the centre and we were forced to suspend our activities on 15 March,” MSF said in a statement.
It said that the MSF convoy was clearly identified, and it had coordinated the movement with authorities.
“This attack serves as stark reminder that no one is safe amidst the ongoing violence between armed groups and law enforcement,” said Benoit Vasseur, the head of mission for MSF in Haiti.
“Despite our precautions, we have been targeted, and this is unacceptable. We urgently call on all parties for the respect of medical staff, facilities and patients at all times.”
MSF said that since end of February, the situation in Turgeau, where it runs a referral and emergency centre, has sharply worsened.
It said that on March 12, the emergency centre treated 27 victims of violence, including women and children, from the surrounding area and that during the night over the next three days “the violence escalated further” as armed groups moved within metres of the hospital, threatening to turn it into a frontline.
“We had to make the painful decision to suspend activities at the MSF Turgeau emergency centre to protect our staff and patients” said Vasseur, adding “currently, it is impossible to continue operations at the hospital, but we are committed to reopening our facility as soon as the situation allows us to do so safely”.
MSF said that before suspending activities, it successfully referred all patients from the emergency centre to other medical facilities.
“Between 24 February and 2 March, our teams at the Turgeau emergency centre treated 314 patients. In February 2025 alone, our teams conducted over 2,500 medical consultations and more than 400 physiotherapy sessions at the Turgeau emergency centre.”
MSF said that this is the second time in less than four months that it has been forced to suspend operations at the health facility.
Last November, MSF halted all activities in Port au Prince following multiple attacks and repeated threats against medical staff. After months of engagement with authorities and assurances from all parties regarding the protection of MSF’s medical mission, it partially resumed operations in January, reopening the Turgeau hospital on 20 January 2025.
However, the resurgence of violence and the deliberate attack on our vehicles during this evacuation make it clear that these assurances and engagements with authorities have failed to translate into real safety for our staff and patients.
“Our team has been providing emergency medical care in Turgeau since 2021. MSF maintains multiple medical programmes in other areas of Port-au-Prince and Haiti, notably for maternal and newborn care, severe burns, trauma and sexual violence. Continuing these vital medical services requires clear guarantees about the security of our movement,” MSF added.
Last month, the United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, addressing the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) summit in Barbados, said he intends presenting to the United Nations Security Council, a new initiative aimed at supporting security and stability in Haiti.
Haiti is facing a crisis following the assassination in July 2021 of the then president Jovenel Moise. Criminal gangs have are seeking to take complete control of the capital Port au Prince, and have launched several attacks, killing women and children among others.
The UN Security Council in 2023 passed a resolution for a Kenya-based Multinational Security Support Mission, aimed at combating gang violence and restoring stability in the country.
CMC/pr/ir/2025