Médecins Sans Frontières suspended operations at a key medical facility in Port-au-Prince in 2023 after its vehicles and staff came under fire, reflecting the deteriorating security situation that was making it increasingly impossible for humanitarian medical organizations to maintain services in the areas most in need. The suspension of MSF operations at any facility was significant given the organization’s role as a provider of last resort for violence victims and other patients in areas where the public health system had effectively ceased to function.
MSF teams had been working under extreme conditions for years in Haiti, providing trauma surgery, emergency obstetric care, and treatment for victims of sexual violence in facilities near the most dangerous areas of Port-au-Prince. The risks to staff had been escalating as gang territorial expansion brought active conflict zones closer to MSF facilities and as armed groups showed increasing willingness to target humanitarian operations.
The attack on MSF vehicles that triggered the suspension was not an isolated incident but the latest in a series of security events that had been forcing the organization to constantly reassess the balance between providing care and protecting its staff. Each suspension of operations, however temporary, had direct consequences for patients who depended on MSF as their only accessible medical provider.
MSF issued public statements demanding that all armed parties respect medical neutrality and ensure safe access for humanitarian medical teams. The organization noted that attacks on healthcare were prohibited under international humanitarian law and called for accountability for those responsible. In an environment of total impunity, the legal and normative arguments had limited practical effect, but maintaining them was considered important for establishing standards even in the absence of immediate enforcement.