What I do every day...March 16, 2025
/Dear friends
Our alert about moving the NPH project from the mountains of Kenscoff to the Tabarre area, has been cautiously on hold. The director has been able to visit in close proximity to the gangs in the mountain, and learn their plans and goals, from gardeners carrying goods from the mountains for sale in Petionville. I won’t say much about it except that our concerns continue and we will keep monitoring.
In the meantime Port au Prince is methodically surrounded by gangs and violent conflict. We have heard from two different groups of nuns who have to abandon their missions. One of the groups we were able to help last Monday, and their compound in Port au Prince is now empty in gang territory.
The bravery of a few members of my team is inspirational to me. Junior, Andre and Jocelynson never have the slightest hesitation to go with me into troubled areas, and on Monday into that dangerous neighborhood under sporadic gunfire to evacuate a Sister who needed to leave by ambulance, because she is a victim of stroke as of a few years.
When we delivered her to a different convent in an area that to a safer (for now), I offered a prayer of thanksgiving and asked her if she wanted to add to it. She said she is very much aware that she is one of the VERY VERY FEW refugees in Port au Prince, that has some place to run too.
She was deeply pained to know how many mothers with children under their arms, how many old people walking with sticks as canes, how many disabled pulled along through the streets are just running in panic across danger lines with no place to go. No protection from rain, from passersby, from harsh sleeping conditions, scant hope for food.
It is really the story of Les Miserables, in spades.
We have doctor friends now packing in panic, moving their offices out of the area near by the sisters, on Chemin des Dalles. It is a country of refugees, all classes.
Other members of my team spent the whole last week helping a friend, a merchant, right up the street, move his merchandise to a safer place. He is being robbed massively by the local area gangs, albeit it very low level members.
The bravery of our teams in Kenscoff, and Tabarre, the bravery of our workers, of nuns and doctors around the country, and of the ordinary person, is phenomenal.
Many years ago in Cite Soleil we use to show movies in neighborhoods to children and youth, to try to give them examples of heroes, of saints, of positive and successful ways of living. Even though it seems like a pipe dream dangling positive ideas before the eyes of people who are hungry and too used to bullets and cadavers, we are trying again in one area to see if we have any favorable results.
I copy here below todays security alert sent to subscribers, to give you a clear idea of what we are living.
Thanking God for the faith, courage and solidarity that are obvious all around us, I take the chance to wish all reading this a Happy St Patrick’s Day tomorrow.
Here is the security alert:
Security Advisory: Increased Gang Activity and Escalating Threats in Port-au-Prince
Date: March 16, 2025
The security situation in Port-au-Prince continues to deteriorate as gangs expand their territorial control and engage in ongoing clashes with the Haitian National Police (PNH) and local brigades. The majority of the downtown area is now classified as a red zone, with several key thoroughfares experiencing active hostilities.
Current Security Concerns:
• Downtown Areas: Streets such as Delmas 30, Delmas 32, and Avenue Christophe are contested, with ongoing armed confrontations. Movement through these areas is extremely high risk.
• Turgeau & Pacot: The area is under immediate threat, prompting strict enforcement of barricades and curfews by local brigades.
• Canapé Vert: The area is under immediate threat, prompting strict enforcement of barricades and curfews by local brigades.
• Airport Road: Gangs continue to target this route with shootings, kidnappings, and violent engagements. Extreme caution is advised for any travel in this vicinity.
• Kenscoff Region: Fighting persists in the mountain areas, exacerbating instability in surrounding zones.
Advisory for Movement & Safety:
• Avoid all non-essential travel, especially in downtown Port-au-Prince and surrounding high-risk areas.
• Expect heightened aggressiveness at static checkpoints manned by local brigades. Maintain a low profile, comply with security directives, and be prepared for thorough inspections.
• Monitor real-time security updates and maintain communication with trusted contacts.
• If travel is necessary, utilize secure transportation and have contingency plans in place.
The situation remains highly fluid, and further escalations are possible. All personnel are urged to exercise maximum vigilance and adhere to security protocols.
