The UN asks to establish a humanitarian corridor to circumvent the armed gangs

The United Nations has called for the creation of a humanitarian corridor with which to access the main fuel terminal, since armed gangs have blocked it, preventing the distribution of basic services such as health, security and water, in a country that is surrounded by an economic crisis, widespread insecurity and an outbreak of cholera that threatens at least 1.2 million children.

The Varreux terminal, located in the capital Port-au-Prince, is the country’s main entry point for fuel, but gangs have blocked entry since mid-September.

The situation has caused a fuel shortage that has forced the closure of many hospitals and health centers, and has affected the distribution of water, said Ulrika Richardson, the UN deputy special representative in the country.

More cases are feared

“We have asked that a humanitarian corridor be established for the fuel to reach the city and the rest of the country, so that we can guarantee our response. Without fuel, there is no clean water. Without clean water, there will be more cases (of cholera) and it will be very difficult to contain this outbreak,” he said, speaking from the capital.

Since Haitian authorities confirmed two positive cases of cholera on Sunday, there have been 11 cases, seven deaths and some 111 suspected cases, although the numbers could be higher.

Richardson fears there could be “a fairly exponential, if not explosive, increase in cholera cases” given current conditions.

“You could even say that maybe the conditions are there for a perfect storm, unfortunately,” he told reporters at the UN headquarters in New York.

Daily life is affected

The increase in insecurity in Haiti in recent months has affected the lives of ordinary citizens, who face restrictions on movement, looting, sexual violence and other horrors.

Due to the crisis in the terminal, the inhabitants of the capital have resorted to buying fuel on the black market at exorbitant prices.

“Sanitation and health care have been hit hard,” Richardson said. “We haven’t had garbage collection for months due to the violent situation, the violence in the streets caused by armed gangs, but also because of the fuel shortage.”

protect and save

The dire humanitarian situation has highlighted the need to act to protect and save lives.

In the next three months, nearly 30,000 pregnant women, and almost as many newborns, are at risk of not receiving any health care. In addition, it is estimated that some 9,965 obstetric complications would remain untreated.

Millions of children are deprived of education because they have not been able to go to school. Nearly 30 schools were looted or attacked in the past month alone.

Also, 45% of the population, 4.5 million people, go hungrywhile some 7,000 victims of sexual violence could be left without treatment.

Fight the cholera outbreak

The UN Security Council will hold a session later this month on the security situation in Haiti. Meanwhile, the entire UN system in the country is collaborating in the response to the cholera outbreak.

Under the umbrella of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, its agencies are making a collective effort, together with local and international partners, to bring much-needed aid.

Until now, they have distributed essential medicines and equipment, established cholera treatment centers and increased disinfection capacity. They have also supported to create “some of the few possibilities to really access water and sanitation measures,” he reported. Richardson.

a lot of work ahead

Community outreach has been important. Currently, one million Haitians receive daily texts indicating the measures to protect themselves, which is complemented by the distribution of door-to-door brochures.

The Pan American Health Organization is also working with its counterparts in the ministries of health and communications to urgently address the “worrisome trends” around misinformation being spreadwhile the United Nations Children’s Fund is working to deliver cholera vaccines, as well as acting as the lead agency for water, sanitation and hygiene.

“We will be reinforcing our teams on the ground, despite the difficult security situation and fuel shortages,” Richardson told reporters. “Our existing resources, we’ll relocate as we see fit and then obviously we’ll see if we need any financial support. But there’s a lot to do.”