Among the litany of atrocities plunging Haiti into mourning on a daily basis, one particularly tragic event has caused consternation throughout the country. At the end of November, four pregnant women died due to lack of care in the region of Port-au-Prince, the capital, 80% of which is now controlled by criminal gangs that terrorize the population. The unfortunate women had gone to "several hospitals" in the region "over the last two days," seeking C-sections, reported Ronald Laroche, the executive director of a network of around 30 healthcare organizations called Development of Health Activities in Haiti, on Radio Magik9 on November 21. The obstetricians and anesthesiologists who were called urgently were unable to arrive because the roads were blocked by gangs. "We had tears in our eyes, but we couldn't do anything," said Dr. Laroche. "We saw these women leave with the children they carried."

This tragedy was a direct consequence of the sudden worsening, in mid-November, of the deep political and security crisis into which this Caribbean country of 11 million people has been sinking for years. In the weeks following the dismissal of Prime Minister Garry Conille on November 9 and the inauguration of his successor, Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, the following day, armed groups have stepped up their attacks and plunged the capital into chaos.

In a press release published on November 25, the International Organization for Migration reported that more than 40,000 people had been driven from their homes in a 10-day period by the violence in the Port-au-Prince region, bringing the total number of displaced persons in the country to 700,000. As a result of the ongoing atrocities, "no maternity center has been open in Haiti for several months," said Pascale Solages, a co-founder and general coordinator of the feminist association Nègès Mawon.

It wasn't until December 2 that the Isaïe Jeanty maternity hospital reopened its doors and welcomed its first patients after nine months of closure. This public facility had to halt all activity in early March during the outbreak of violence that eventually caused the downfall of unpopular Prime Minister Ariel Henry. The new government team was quick to celebrate this rare success. "Pregnant women will now benefit from proper medical care," said Health Minister Duckenson Lorthé Blema.

Isaïe Jeanty maternity hospital – the largest in the country – had already been forced to close its doors several times in recent years due to growing insecurity in the Cité Soleil slum, where it is located. In this impoverished commune on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince, clashes between rival gangs are common, severely disrupting the facility's operations.

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