The urgent situation in Haiti
Post Reports
The Washington Post
4.4 • 5.1K Ratings
🗓️ 17 November 2022
⏱️ 24 minutes
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Summary
Today on Post Reports, we hear from a journalist on the ground in Haiti about the country’s growing humanitarian crisis, and what can be done about it.
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Natural disasters and political turmoil have plagued Haiti for decades. But last year, the country reached a tipping point: President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated and the country was hit by another deadly earthquake. Capitalizing on the situation, gangs have overrun many parts of the country, frequently kidnapping and killing people and stopping the flow of critical goods. A lack of access to clean water has caused cholera to make a comeback, sickening thousands of people and killing over 100 so far. Journalist Widlore Mérancourt describes what people there are experiencing and whether international intervention in Haiti would be a plausible solution – given the country’s already fraught history with it.
Transcript
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| 1:02.7 | This situation that we're living today in Haiti is the first in my lifetime. |
| 1:09.4 | Whittler-Marin-Court is a journalist working in Porter Prince, the capital of Haiti, |
| 1:13.9 | and he's a contributor to the post. He has been reporting on the many economic, |
| 1:18.3 | political, and health crises that have been rapidly escalating across the country. |
| 1:26.2 | For decades, Haiti has endured setback after setback, devastating hurricanes, |
| 1:31.6 | catastrophic earthquakes, and a long cycle of political turmoil. But last year, there was a |
| 1:37.7 | tipping point. Haiti's controversial president Jovenel Moise was assassinated. His successor, |
| 1:44.4 | Ariel Henri, has brought even more instability. Since the assassination, gangs across the country |
| 1:56.9 | have taken advantage of a dire situation. They've blocked the flow of fuel, food, and clean water |
| 2:03.3 | to people on the island. We have more than 100,000 people displaced by gang violence in the capital. |
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