“It's total paralysis right now,” Coles said in an interview with The Washington Post. “The gangs have control. They have the upper hand.”
Closing the port could have dire consequences for the capital, 80 percent of which is now controlled by gangs that have terrorized residents over the past week with a wave of killings, kidnappings, and attacks on police stations. Thousands of prisoners escaped from the two largest prisons over the weekend. Human rights activists say the stench of corpses in the streets has prompted some families to leave their homes. The gang members surrounded the international airport, suspending flight operations, and set fire to police stations. Roadblocks set up by gangs across the country have made it almost impossible to reach the capital by land. The country's borders with the Dominican Republic are closed. Even the country's besieged prime minister was unable to return to his country; Earlier this week, he flew to Puerto Rico instead.
“Everything has stopped. Medical and food supplies cannot reach Port-au-Prince. At the moment nothing can enter by sea or air,” said one manager in the shipping sector, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters. Or righteousness.” “It is a disaster. “Hunger will be the next step.”
On any given day, about 5,000 containers are stored or moved through the city's main port, APN, accounting for about 80 to 90 percent of container traffic into the capital, Coles said. While other ports outside Port-au-Prince remain operational, deliveries to the capital have become nearly impossible due to roadblocks set up by gangs. In a country that imports most of what it consumes, the port's containers carry vital food products – rice, pasta, milk and fresh vegetables – as well as medical supplies.
The company also serves as a coastal shipping station for fuel and other supplies for the north and south, with road access disrupted by multiple gang checkpoints, said Anne Hogue, manager of an international port aimed at serving Haiti's southern coast.
“If you're a gang boss, you're definitely going to go after the APN,” Hogue said. “It is the jugular vein of Haiti’s economy.”
Human rights advocates warn that the country's isolation could exacerbate an already dire humanitarian crisis in the poorest country in the hemisphere.
“These ships are the dry docks that hold most of the food containers,” Mercy Corps said in a statement. If we don't have access to those containers, Haiti will soon go hungry.
Jean-Marc Piqué, head of Doctors Without Borders in Haiti, said the country faces a high risk of shortages of medicine and blood in the coming weeks.
“Very soon, if there is no air, port or road opening, all hospital institutions, including MSF, will not be able to continue providing care,” Pique said.
Coles said the armed attack on the port came days after gangs vandalized the station's power plant, cutting off power and possibly causing damage to important fresh food products. Then, on Tuesday, gang members shot and killed a port security guard as they tried to reach the power plant again.
As the port faced one attack after another, staff sometimes took the desperate measure of stacking containers on top of each other to create a barrier against the gangs. But on Wednesday night, that was impossible.
“The security team was basically under siege,” Coles said. “When you have a group of 50 or 100 thugs coming with these war weapons, these machine guns, they break any security force you have.”
Coles said he had not yet assessed the damage or how many containers were compromised. He first received reports of gang members roaming the terminal stealing goods at about 3 a.m. on Thursday, and the port was not “gang-free” as of Thursday afternoon.
Soldiers arrived at the port, but Coles said the army was “not well-equipped enough to fight this type of gang operation.” Police also struggled to confront the gangs in the early morning.
“With all this gang activity, police are out there,” Coles said. They basically had to choose between the airport or the port. “I think they chose the airport.”
Gang members managed to infiltrate the port terminal at five or six different locations – including the main gate – and by Thursday afternoon, the terminal was not fully secured. The gangs are likely to return. Coles said it may be possible to resume operations at the port within 24 to 48 hours, but only if police can secure it. Until then, it is not clear when the port will be able to restore power.
“I'm sure the losses will be very significant,” Coles said.
Coles said he spoke to the US embassy about suspending operations at the port. “They didn't tell me anything, unfortunately.”
On Wednesday, only a few police officers could be seen on the streets of Port-au-Prince. Lionel Lazar said gangs set fire to dozens of police facilities last week, President of the National Union of Haitian Police Officers.
“The police forces are on their knees,” Lazar said. “They are unable to even protect their own infrastructure.”
While some supermarkets in Port-au-Prince remained open, many were already running out of products, as gangs disrupted supply routes within the city. Many residents are afraid to venture out onto gang-controlled streets to find the necessary food and water. Supermarkets and small businesses were also looted.
“Haiti cannot take it any longer,” said Pierre Esperance, director of the National Network for the Defense of Human Rights in Haiti. “Something urgently needs to happen to reopen the ports and get planes flying again… Many people will die if we remain in this situation for the next three days.”
