Humanitarian crisis in Haiti: activist Kémi Séba alongside the victims

Kemi Sheba this weekend in the streets of the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince. The Franco-Beninese activist went to support slum populations hit by a serious humanitarian crisis following the anti-corruption protests in the country.

For his humanitarian mission, Kemi Séba brought with him sanitary kits containing soap, toothpaste and medicines that he distributed to vulnerable people in the capital.

« We wanted to show that we are capable and that we do not have to wait for the government to act, we can act ourselves to show our support, » the activist said in an interview with Voice of America.

For several weeks, Haiti has been grappling with a serious anti-government challenge that has severely undermined basic social services, including hospitals.

People deplore the rise of corruption in which the authorities are implicated, which they deny. According to the UN, at least 42 people have died since mid-September in demonstrations in major cities in Haiti to demand the resignation of the president, a movement paralyzing the country’s economic activities.

Serious humanitarian crisis
« We have medical staff with us, midwives, specialists who not only distribute the kits but also make free consultations. They are volunteers who gave their time for this to happen (…)

We wanted to do that because Haiti is a source of black pride in the world and because Haiti is currently facing an extremely difficult situation because of this crisis that affects the social and economic sectors of the country, « added Kémi Séba.

A few days ago, the UN alerted on humanitarian conditions in Haiti. More than one in three Haitians are in a situation of « serious » food insecurity, due to the economic crisis, social unrest and declining agricultural production.

Since last week, however, the anti-government protests have faltered after an agreement was signed between the opposition, the government and civil society to find a successor to President Jovenel Moïse and the formation of a government of transition.

If the crisis seems to fade, Kemi Séba hopes that the chain of solidarity to the most vulnerable populations of Haiti will not be broken. The activist is not on his first trip to the island. Several times already, he went there to support anti-corruption protesters