SITUATION
- The situation in Pont Sondé, in Bas Artibonite, remains tense following the 3 October attack by an armed group, which resulted in the deaths of 100 residents and the displacement of 6,742 people to Saint Marc.
- Armed group members took to damaging road infrastructure, including bridges, by digging trenches on secondary roads leading from Route Nationale 1 (RNA1) to Savien, blocking access.
- Haitian authorities, in coordination with humanitarian partners, mobilised to address the urgent needs of affected populations.
- Despite increased security presence, three kidnappings were reported between 10 and 12 October in L'Estère, north of Pont Sondé, on the RNA1.
- On 14 October, students from Antoinette Dessalines National School in Saint-Marc organised a peaceful march to urge the authorities to address the situation of the displaced people from Pont Sondé, who have occupied their school, hindering the resumption of classes. During the march, students temporarily blocked the RNA1, which was later reopened by community members.
RESPONSE
Protection
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) pre-positioned recreational kits for 1,350 children in Saint Marc. UNICEF also supported the verification of serious child rights violations through the Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism.
UNICEF, the Institute for Social Welfare and Research (IBESR), along with partners such as Zanmi Lasante and the Artibonite Health Directorate, reunited unaccompanied or separated children with their families in hospitals and displacement sites. Haitian Red Cross volunteers were trained to identify vulnerable children and manage cases of sexual violence. Psychosocial support and identification of vulnerable children started on 15 October at Antoinette Dessalines National School.
Dignity kits, sexual and reproductive health (SRH) kits, and essential medicines provided by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) are now available in Saint Marc. Distribution of dignity kits will begin on 17 October, in partnership with the Ministry for Women’s Affairs (MCFDF) and other partner organisations.
Health
From 8 to 12 October, UNFPA and the Artibonite Health Directorate ran integrated mobile clinics in Grand Ford, Gardères, Antoinette Dessalines National School, and Le Rocher Church, providing care to 687 people, including 492 women.
At the same time, UNFPA and MCFDF assessed the needs of displaced women and girls, identifying hygiene materials, clothing, medication, food, shelter, and water as priority needs. UNFPA also assessed the health facilities in Saint-Michel and Petite Rivière, preparing to deploy delivery kits, essential medicines, post-violence kits, and obstetric complication kits.
On 16 October, UNFPA delivered equipment and medical kits to Saint Nicolas Hospital in Saint Marc to improve access to reproductive health services and support for cases of sexual violence. The donations included a post-violence kit (kit 3), a delivery kit (kit 6A), a kit for managing abortion complications (kit 8), three delivery tables, an operating table, two oxygen concentrators, a suction pump, four oxygen tanks, and essential medicines.
That same day, UNFPA and the Artibonite Health Directorate set up a mobile clinic in Venotte, providing medical consultations to 113 people, including 87 women and girls.
Food Security
Between 6 and 13 October, the World Food Programme (WFP) provided 51,037 hot meals to 7,036 displaced people, addressing urgent food needs caused by recent crises in the region.
Zanmi Lasante delivered supplies from UNICEF to treat 200 cases of severe acute malnutrition (SAM) and 100 cases of moderate acute malnutrition (MAM).
WASH
Recent humanitarian efforts in Saint-Marc and surrounding areas supported displaced people through several initiatives:
- In collaboration with the Haitian Red Cross and Zanmi Lasante, 1,600 people (320 families, including 50 per cent women) and 1,000 children at the Pont Venotte and Grand Fond displacement sites received hygiene kits.
- The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) donated 10 portable toilets to the SaintMarc town hall, with some installed at Corsaire Night Club, a site targeted for the planned relocation of displaced people from the school site.
- A waste collection truck is now available for sites near the Saint-Marc town hall.
COORDINATION
The coordination cells of the Ministry of Planning and External Cooperation (MPCE), the Directorate of Civil Protection (DPC), and OCHA in Gonaïves, along with DPC, the Haitian Red Cross, and local authorities in Saint Marc, continue to jointly manage the response and receive supplies from Port-auPrince and Gonaïves. A joint mission for coordination and response reinforcement, involving the Department of Health and Sanitation (DAS), DPC, MPCE, OCHA, and UNICEF, took place by air in Saint Marc on 16 October, with support from the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS). The extraordinary Inter-Cluster Coordination Group (ICCG) – Access Working Group (GTA) meeting for response planning and monitoring is scheduled for 18 October.
Disclaimer
- UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
- To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.