MSF admits 30 gunshot and drone-blast victims in nine days as Port-au-Prince clashes spread

Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières, MSF) has treated 30 people wounded by gunfire or kamikaze-drone explosions at its hospitals in Tabarre and Cité Soleil, and is urging all parties to spare civilians. According to HaitiLibre, which carries the organisation's statement, the admissions took place between October 18 and 26.

The organisation also calls on the authorities and all stakeholders to guarantee that every wounded or sick person can reach healthcare facilities, without discrimination.

Women and children among the wounded

MSF says its hospitals have taken in numerous wounded people, including women and children. Davina Hayles, MSF head of mission in Haiti, said: "We are very concerned about this surge in violence in multiple densely populated neighbourhoods of the capital," and added: "Among the victims, we have admitted multiple women and children, it is shocking to see them arriving at our hospitals, wounded by gunfire or explosions."

Hayles also said MSF fears the fighting will claim more victims and displace more people in the coming days. Some of the organisation's locally based colleagues have themselves had to leave their homes and take refuge in MSF accommodations, she said.

Where the fighting has escalated

Heavy gunfire and drone explosions have intensified in the Plaine du Cul-de-Sac area, northeast of Port-au-Prince. The report links this to the disappearance on October 18, 2026 of four Salvadoran military technicians, who belong to a gang-suppression force. Their vehicle had been attacked by members of armed groups.

Patients struggling to reach care

The fighting is also keeping patients away from treatment. "Some patients with gunshot wounds took several hours to reach our hospitals in Tabarre and Cité Soleil," Hayles explained. "Roads and bridges are blocked, and any travel is extremely risky."

She said the capital's healthcare system has collapsed and many facilities are closed, which makes it essential that functioning ones remain accessible.

Mobile clinics and water suspended

In the neighborhoods affected by the armed conflict, MSF has had to suspend its mobile clinics and its distribution of treated water. The organisation describes this as a double blow for patients and for residents without access to treated water, who could at any moment become direct or collateral victims.