‘It’s terrible’ in Haiti’s capital: Aid worker
- Aid worker: Port-au-Prince 'completely cut off'
- 350,000 displaced; most want to flee
- Vigilantes, gangs take over, hampering relief work
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(NewsNation) — Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, is “completely, totally cut off from the rest of the country,” according to the man running one of the international efforts to help the country’s people.
“In Port-au-Prince … it’s terrible,” Samba Sidibe said in a live interview with NewsNation. Sidibe is directing relief efforts in Haiti for CORE (Community Organized Relief Effort).
He says about 350,000 Haitians have been displaced by the newest round of violent political strife that’s seen Prime Minister Ariel Henry resign and gang rule take over.
“Vigilantes are making things really difficult. People have to have their IDs on them,” says Sidibe. Making things worse, gangs have overpowered Haitian police agencies.
By contrast, life in the southern part of Haiti is better. He says CORE is implementing an emergency USAID program that’s “providing security for over 6,000 people. (Things are) kind of working, but the fact that the capital is cut off from the rest of the country … that’s hampering our operations.”
Also hampering operations: fewer people to operate. Sidibe says CORE is not immune to people’s urge to flee Haiti.
“Even us, as an organization, we are losing employees on a monthly or weekly basis. I would say that more than 80% of the people, if they had a choice, they would leave,” he said.
