标签： Haiti

In a scheduled inspection tour of infrastructure projects across Haiti’s Far North region, Marcelin Aubourg, Haiti’s Minister of Agriculture, led a cross-agency government delegation to assess on-site progress of rural road rehabilitation works. These upgrades are being delivered under the Support Program for the Improvement of Rural Infrastructure for Access to Markets (PAPAIR), a joint development initiative funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Haitian national government.

The delegation’s first stop was Sainte-Suzanne, a commune in Haiti’s North-East department, where two high-priority road segments totaling more than 14 kilometers were inspected. The first segment, connecting Sainte-Suzanne to Sarazin, has seen core infrastructure works completed including 900 meters of stripping and earthworks, a 60-meter retaining wall, and a 50-meter hydraulic concrete roadway. These upgrades are specifically designed to stabilize steep, erosion-prone slopes along the route and make passage safer and more reliable for all vehicles and foot traffic.

For the second priority segment linking Sainte-Suzanne to Foulon, works have focused on flood resilience, a critical need in Haiti’s rainy season. Interventions so far include the construction of a 31-meter retaining wall and the installation of four new water drainage structures: two standard culverts and two box culverts. These additions are essential to preventing runoff water from damaging the road surface and extending the overall lifespan of the infrastructure.

Following the inspection in North-East, the ministerial tour continued into Haiti’s North department, where the delegation visited the active construction site for the 8.6-kilometer Carrefour Lory/Bakiny road segment spanning the communes of Milot and Plaine du Nord. To date, this project ranks among the most advanced rural road rehabilitation initiatives in the entire Far North region.

Progress on the Carrefour Lory/Bakiny segment is extensive: teams have already completed full rehabilitation of the Secap culvert, constructed a new double-cell culvert in Pake, dug and lined 750 meters of masonry drainage ditches, installed four pedestrian access footbridges, poured 153 linear meters of hydraulic concrete roadway, and built 200 cubic meters of gabion protection walls to prevent landslides. All earthworks for the project are now finished, and 7 kilometers of graded dirt roadway have already been fully rehabilitated for use.

At the conclusion of the multi-day inspection tour, Minister Aubourg emphasized that rural road upgrades are a cornerstone of Haiti’s national agricultural development strategy. Once completed, these improved connections will cut logistics costs for smallholder farmers, make it easier to move fresh produce from rural farms to regional and national consumer markets, reduce costly post-harvest waste that currently cuts into farmer incomes, and ultimately strengthen the long-term economic resilience of vulnerable rural communities across northern Haiti.

In a working visit to Haiti’s far northern regions this week, Marcelin Aubourg, the country’s Minister of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development (MARNDR), led a inter-agency delegation to assess the progress of ongoing fisheries infrastructure development projects, part of a broader national push to unlock the sector’s untapped economic potential for coastal communities.

The delegation’s first stop was Fort-Liberté, where they toured a local facility manufacturing marine engines and new fishing vessels. Bernard Chauvet, general manager of the workshop, confirmed that 20 of the 80 ordered fiberglass fishing boats will be ready for delivery by the end of May. Built at four feet wide, each vessel is outfitted with an average 15-horsepower engine, specifically engineered to withstand deep-sea fishing conditions that are common off Haiti’s northern coast.

On April 10, 2026, Aubourg convened a working meeting with representatives from local fishing associations at the North Departmental Directorate of Agriculture (DDAN). During the talks, the minister stressed that fishing has evolved into one of Haiti’s most promising high-growth sectors for rural livelihoods. He noted a striking cultural shift in the industry: unlike decades past when fishing was often viewed as an unstable, low-status occupation, today’s Haitian fishermen embrace their professional identity, as the trade now reliably generates enough income to support their households. Aubourg, who previously served as departmental director of agriculture for the South and Grand’Anse regions, urged northern fishermen to fully invest in their work, noting that expanded infrastructure and training will open pathways to long-term improvements in household income and quality of life.

The on-site inspections and community meetings are part of Haiti’s broader Program to Support Agricultural and Fisheries Productivity and Improve Rural Infrastructure for Market Access (PAPAIR), a national initiative focused specifically on boosting fisheries output and rehabilitating outdated coastal fishing infrastructure. After delivering measurable positive outcomes for small-scale fishing communities in Haiti’s southern departments, the program is now rolling out to the northern and northeastern regions.

Laurent Mérisier, an agricultural engineer and one of three national PAPAIR coordinators, shared details on the program’s early progress in the north. To date, roughly 20 local fishing associations—15 in the North department and five in the Northeast—have completed technical training as part of the initiative’s organizational capacity-building component. Each participating association will receive four of the 80 new fishing boats currently under construction. All vessels will come fully equipped with marine engines and modern fish preservation tools, a upgrade that will particularly benefit small-scale fishmongers who rely on fresh product to serve local markets.

PAPAIR is a flagship project of the Haitian government, implemented through MARNDR, with financial backing from two major international development bodies: the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP).

A devastating crowd crush at one of Haiti’s most iconic historical landmarks has left at least 30 people dead and dozens more injured, in what local authorities are calling one of the worst public safety disasters in the region in recent years. The tragedy unfolded on Saturday, April 11, 2026, at the Citadelle Laferrière in Milot, where thousands of attendees gathered for annual traditional cultural festivities that drew a far larger turnout than organizers had anticipated.

Preliminary investigations from Haiti’s Civil Protection agency point to severe overcrowding at the UNESCO-recognized site, compounded by critical gaps in pre-planned crowd management protocols, as the root cause of the deadly stampede. When overcrowding reached a breaking point, the sudden surge of people triggered a chaotic crush that left numerous victims trapped, suffering from asphyxiation and trampling injuries. The provisional death toll was confirmed at 30 as of early Sunday morning, with dozens of injured survivors currently receiving emergency care at regional hospitals across northern Haiti.

Civil Protection officials have warned that the final death toll is likely to rise, as dozens of people remain unaccounted for in the aftermath of the incident. Sacré-Cœur Hospital in Milot, the closest major medical facility to the site, has already received multiple bodies of young victims who were pronounced dead on arrival, and eyewitnesses on the scene told local reporters they expect the total number of fatalities could climb above 50 as search and recovery operations continue.

Local authorities moved swiftly to launch rescue operations in the wake of the disaster. The Cap-Haïtien Municipal Commission activated its emergency response protocol immediately, dispatching ambulances, emergency response teams and relief supplies to the Citadelle Laferrière to support evacuation, search and victim care efforts. In an official statement, the municipal body praised the rapid mobilization of Civil Protection workers, medical staff and civilian volunteers who have worked around the clock in difficult conditions to assist survivors.

The commission also released an official message of condolence, expressing its deepest sorrow for the lives lost and extending its full solidarity to all families impacted by the tragedy. Haiti’s national government has also formally responded to the disaster. In a public statement released Saturday evening, Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé and his administration expressed profound dismay and overwhelming sadness over the loss of life.

“We share the profound emotion and immense sadness of the Haitian people following this unthinkable tragedy,” the statement read. “The Government extends its sincere condolences to the bereaved families and assures them of our deep solidarity during this time of mourning and great suffering.” All relevant national and local authorities remain on high alert, with the government confirming that all necessary support and medical care is being provided to survivors and their families without delay.

The government is closely monitoring the evolving situation as an official investigation into the exact circumstances of the tragedy gets underway. Officials have called on the public to remain calm and exercise caution while waiting for the investigation’s full findings, and reaffirmed the government’s unwavering commitment to supporting the affected community through this crisis.

Haiti’s Ministry of Agriculture is launching a targeted initiative to boost peanut production in the agricultural commune of Durcis, part of a broader national push to strengthen food security and lift rural farming communities. Led by Agriculture Minister Marcelin Aubourg, the program kicked off with the distribution of premium, high-yield peanut seeds to local farmers, delivered under the umbrella of the Resilient Agriculture for Food Security Project (PARSA), a initiative supported by World Bank funding.

During his working visit to Durcis, a region long recognized for its untapped agricultural potential, Minister Aubourg held direct consultations with members of local farmers’ associations. These conversations allowed the ministry to center farmer needs in its programming, hearing firsthand the core challenges facing small-scale producers and ensuring future interventions align with on-the-ground realities.

The peanut seed distribution in Durcis is just one component of a far larger sector-wide support effort across Haiti. By the end of the program’s current phase, PARSA will deliver a total of 130 tons of improved peanut seeds to revitalize the crop, a strategic agricultural commodity, across four key departments: South, Nippes, Central, and Grand’Anse. This distribution follows earlier support distributed during the 2026 spring planting campaign, which included 200 tons of bean seeds, 3.5 million cassava cuttings, 1.3 million banana seedlings, and 2.6 million yam transplants. All of these inputs are designed to ramp up overall agricultural output across intervention zones and reduce the financial burden on smallholder farmers working to improve their harvests.

Beyond distributing critical planting materials, Minister Aubourg outlined a long-term vision for modernizing Haiti’s agricultural sector that centers on expanding reliable water access. He emphasized that functional irrigation infrastructure is a non-negotiable foundation for consistent, stable agricultural production. Moving forward, the ministry plans to upgrade and expand national hydraulic infrastructure to meet the growing water needs of farming communities, ensure year-round access to this critical resource, and reduce output volatility caused by drought and inconsistent rainfall, directly advancing national food security goals.

As part of the broader push to increase domestic agricultural output across all subsectors, Minister Aubourg also announced plans to open a new bovine artificial insemination center in the South Department in the coming months. The facility will deliver modern reproductive technologies to local cattle farmers, with the goal of boosting both national milk and meat production by improving livestock genetics and overall sector productivity. The minister highlighted the key technical and financial support provided by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) for this new initiative, underscoring how targeted international cooperation remains central to growing Haiti’s agricultural sector and delivering long-term food security for the Haitian people.

Haiti’s Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé has underscored the national government’s unwavering commitment to expanding reliable access to clean drinking water for all Haitian citizens during an official working tour of the country’s Grand South region. On Tuesday, April 7, the prime minister conducted an on-site inspection of the ongoing drinking water infrastructure upgrade project in the coastal city of Les Cayes, a stop that coincided with a landmark contract signing for new stormwater management facilities in the area.

The contract signing ceremony marks a critical milestone in Haiti’s efforts to boost urban climate resilience, as the Grand South region has repeatedly faced growing climate-related flood risks in recent years. During his inspection, Fils-Aimé walked through the construction site to review the progress of installation works, holding detailed discussions with engineering and technical teams about the ongoing challenges to delivering sustainable, long-term drinking water access for local communities. Following these conversations, he publicly reaffirmed that the Haitian central government has placed the expansion of basic public services in under-served regional areas at the top of its national development priority list.

The Les Cayes drinking water system upgrade is a core component of the country’s national Water and Sanitation Infrastructure and Development Program, which is being executed by Haiti’s National Directorate of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DINEPA). The initiative receives substantial financial backing from the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), through the agency’s Water and Sanitation Cooperation Fund (FCAS).

With a total program budget exceeding $101 million U.S. dollars, this large-scale development initiative carries a dual mission: to extend coverage of drinking water and sanitation services to unconnected communities across Haiti, and to strengthen the institutional capacity of national agencies working in the water sector. As of the end of December 2025, more than 80 percent of the total program budget has already been committed to ongoing projects across the country, reflecting steady and significant progress in national-scale implementation.

Unlike many infrastructure initiatives that only target major urban centers, this program spreads investment across multiple cities and regions in both urban and rural Haiti. Its overarching goal is to deliver sustained, measurable improvements to quality of life for hundreds of thousands of Haitian residents across the country. Maintaining the program’s forward momentum, a separate assessment delegation led by Charles Jean-Jacques, National Authorizing Officer for European Development Funds (EDF), recently traveled to the city of Jérémie to inspect a nearly completed drinking water supply project. Once finalized, that facility will provide reliable clean water access to more than 40,000 local Jérémie residents, addressing a long-standing public service gap in the area.