Humanitarian organizations operating in Haiti warned in April 2019 that ongoing protests and civil unrest were severely limiting their ability to reach vulnerable communities in need of food, medicine, and other essential services. Several NGOs reported that road blockades and security concerns had forced them to suspend or significantly curtail field operations in parts of Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas.
The impact was felt most acutely in urban slums and remote rural communities where residents had limited access to markets and relied on aid organizations for regular assistance. Médecins Sans Frontières and other medical groups reported disruptions to supply chains and the movement of health workers.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) issued an alert calling on all parties to respect humanitarian principles and ensure safe passage for aid convoys. The alert noted that the most vulnerable Haitians, including children, pregnant women, and the elderly, were bearing a disproportionate share of the crisis’s burden.
Haitian civil society organizations urged protest leaders to create humanitarian corridors to allow the movement of aid. Some community leaders complied, but the patchwork nature of protest organization made consistent implementation difficult across the country.