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.
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.
-
Trump uses tariffs to upend Brazil's domestic politics
IN THE SPOTLIGHT By slapping a 50% tariff on Brazil for its criminal investigation into Bolsonaro, the Trump administration is brazenly putting its fingers on the scales of a key foreign election
-
3 questions to ask when deciding whether to repair or replace your broken appliance
the explainer There may be merit to fixing what you already have, but sometimes buying new is even more cost-effective
-
'Trump's authoritarian manipulation of language'
Instant Opinion Vienna has become a 'convenient target for populists' | Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Iran still has enriched uranium, Israeli official says
Speed Read It remains unclear how long it would take Iran to rebuild its nuclear program following US and Israeli attacks
-
Trump U-turns on weapons to Ukraine
Speed Read Unhappy with Putin, Trump decides the US will go back to arming Ukraine against Russia's attacks
-
Ukraine scrambles as Trump cuts weapons deliveries
Speed Read The halting of weapons shipments was driven by Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby, a Ukraine funding skeptic
-
IAEA: Iran could enrich uranium 'within months'
Speed Read The chief United Nations nuclear inspector, Rafael Grossi, says Iran could be enriching uranium again soon
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?
today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
Iran nukes program set back months, early intel suggests
Speed Read A Pentagon assessment says US bombing of Iranian nuclear sites only set the program back by months, not years. This contradicts President Donald Trump's claim.
-
Trump says Iran and Israel agreed to ceasefire
Speed Read This followed a night of Israeli airstrikes on Tehran and multiple waves of missiles fired by Iran
-
Israel strikes Iran, killing military and nuclear chiefs
Speed Read Israeli officials said the attack was a 'preemptive' strike on Iran's nuclear program