Haitian officials are negotiating with gangs in order to get aid into country


Haiti continues to reel from Saturday's devastating 7.2-magnitude earthquake, with the country's Civil Protection Agency announcing on Monday that the death toll has increased to 1,419, with more than 6,000 people injured.
At least 7,000 homes were destroyed in the quake and almost 5,000 damaged, leaving 30,000 families homeless, The Associated Press reports. Search and rescue teams are still hoping they will pull survivors alive out of the rubble of collapsed buildings, but they are racing against time, as Tropical Depression Grace could hit Haiti on Monday night, bringing with it heavy rains that could trigger flash flooding and mudslides; some areas are expecting to see 15 inches of rainfall.
Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, and residents are waiting in line for hours to get money that has been wired from friends and relatives abroad. Humanitarian agencies are attempting to get much-needed food, water, and medical supplies into the country, and the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said on Monday that local officials are negotiating with gangs in Port-a-Prince's Martissant district, seeking safe passage for two humanitarian convoys. Southern Haiti is "a hot spot for gang-related violence," the agency said, and humanitarian workers are routinely attacked across the region.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The hardest hit towns are Les Cayes and Jeremie, and at Les Cayes General Hospital, there aren't enough beds for all of the wounded. People suffering from broken bones and internal injuries are being treated outside and in hallways, and the hospital is running out of pain killers and steel pins. "We are saturated, and people keep coming," Dr. Paurus Michelete told AP.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Today's political cartoons - April 19, 2025
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - free trade, judicial pushback, and more
By The Week US
-
5 educational cartoons about the Harvard pushback
Cartoons Artists take on academic freedom, institutional resistance, and more
By The Week US
-
One-pan black chickpeas with baharat and orange recipe
The Week Recommends This one-pan dish offers bold flavours, low effort and minimum clean up
By The Week UK
-
China accuses NSA of Winter Games cyberattacks
speed read China alleges that the U.S. National Security Agency launched cyberattacks during the Asian Winter Games in February
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Russian strike kills dozens in Ukraine
Speed Read The Sumy ballistic missile strike was Russia's deadliest attack on civilians this year
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across Syria
THE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
South Korea court removes impeached president
Speed Read The Constitutional Court upheld the impeachment of Yoon Suk Yeol after his declaration of martial law in December
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Myanmar quake deaths rise as survivor search intensifies
speed read The magnitude-7.7 earthquake in central Myanmar has killed a documented 2,000 people so far, and left scores more trapped beneath rubble
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weapons
The Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
By Abby Wilson
-
Israel detains director after West Bank settler clash
speed read The director of Oscar-winning documentary 'No Other Land' was arrested and beaten
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Turkey arrests Istanbul mayor, a top Erdogan rival
Speed Read Protests erupted in Turkey after authorities detained Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu
By Peter Weber, The Week US