Thousands trapped by fighting in Haitian capital, aid group warns

(CNN) — Thousands of Haitians are trapped in capital city Port-au-Prince without access to water, food or other essential supplies, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), a medical humanitarian group, warned on Tuesday.

According to MSF, they are trapped by ongoing fighting between rival groups vying for control of the neighborhood Cité Soleil.

Fighting first broke out on July 8, according to MSF, effectively preventing residents from leaving the area and blocking the delivery of vital aid — including trucks carrying drinking water.

Three MSF health workers living in the affected area of Brooklyn are tending to those harmed by the fighting, the group said.

“Along the only road into Brooklyn, we have encountered corpses that are decomposing or being burned,” Mumuza Muhindo, MSF head of mission, in a press release.

“They could be people killed during the clashes or people trying to leave who were shot—it is a real battlefield. It is not possible to estimate how many people have been killed,” he added.

Haiti has suffered from violent instability for years. After former president Jovenel Moïse was assassinated in July last year, his successor Ariel Henry vowed to improve security. Nevertheless, kidnappings and gang violence continue to plague the Caribbean nation.

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