标签： Haiti

On April 13, 2026, Haiti’s Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor (MAST), led by Minister Marc-Elie Nelson, in partnership with the country’s Social Assistance Fund (CAS), hosted a large-scale solidarity event focused on delivering tangible support to two of Haiti’s most marginalized groups: vulnerable elderly citizens and people living with disabilities.

During the gathering, Minister Nelson publicly commended CAS Director General Jhonny Raphaël for spearheading the initiative, which aligns with the government’s broader goals of reinforcing national social safety nets and fostering social stability across Haiti, a country that has long grappled with systemic socioeconomic challenges. The event was not merely a ceremonial gathering; it delivered multiple concrete, immediate interventions for attendees and local residents.

A core highlight of the day was the distribution of 13,600 monthly allowance checks to eligible beneficiaries, 3,600 of whom were first-time recipients who had recently completed their registration for the program. Complementing this financial support, CAS also deployed a fully operational mobile medical clinic on-site, which brought free primary health care and routine medical monitoring to more than 5,000 residents living in the surrounding area, addressing a critical gap in access to basic health services for low-income communities.

Minister Nelson acknowledged that Haiti continues to face widespread social hardship, and that unmet needs across vulnerable populations far outpace current government capacity. Even so, he emphasized that the initiative represents a deliberate, rapid response to the ongoing social emergency facing disadvantaged Haitian families.

In addition to rolling out immediate support, Minister Nelson used the event as a platform to announce a long-overdue administrative change at CAS: the government is preparing to formally appoint roughly 600 long-serving contract workers as full-time CAS employees. Many of these workers have remained in contract positions for more than 15 years without permanent status or the benefits that come with it, and the appointment initiative addresses this longstanding worker inequity within the institution.

For his part, Director Raphaël outlined CAS’s upcoming plans to improve service delivery to beneficiaries. The fund will roll out new administrative systems designed to streamline the monthly distribution process, ensuring beneficiaries receive their allowance checks more reliably and with fewer delays. Raphaël also confirmed that CAS is expanding its eligibility pool to include new beneficiaries from displacement and accommodation centers, extending state social support to more Haitians who have been left without formal assistance. He added that in the coming months, the fund will also process and distribute long-awaited grants to individuals and community activists who have already submitted requests for support.

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.