What We're Watching

Haiti takes back major hospital from gangs

​Haiti's Prime Minister Garry Conille shakes hands with members of the first contingent of Kenyan police as part of a peacekeeping mission in the Caribbean country, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti June 26, 2024.
Haiti's Prime Minister Garry Conille shakes hands with members of the first contingent of Kenyan police as part of a peacekeeping mission in the Caribbean country, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti June 26, 2024.
REUTERS/Ralph Tedy Erol

On Tuesday, Haiti’s interim Prime Minister Garry Conillevisited the country’s largest hospital in the capital city of Port-au-Prince to celebrate taking it back from armed gangs on Sunday.

Haiti has been engulfed in deadly gang violence since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021. Since then, over 200 armed gangs formed large alliances that brought Haiti to a state of anarchy, with intensifying violence that eventually forced former Prime Minister Ariel Henry’s resignation this spring. Coordinated gang attacks in February — strategically timed to occur while Henry was overseas — seized control of harbors and airports, effectively cutting the country off from the world.

Conille, a former doctor himself, described the hospital as a “war zone” that had been left inoperable by the violence. In recent months, gangs have taken control of 80% of the capital and driven Haiti’s already weak health system to the brink of collapse.

The Haitian government’s reclamation of this hospital, expected to be back in full service by February 2026, is a rare victory for Haiti and an early success for the UN-backed, Kenyan-led police mission that has been fighting on the ground since it deployed on June 25.

What’s next? Can Haitians with the help of their Kenyan allies hold the territory they’ve retaken while also ingratiating themselves with ordinary people who have endured years of violence and scarcity? If they can win back territory without losing hearts and minds, they may create a window to begin the long road to recovery.

More For You

In this episode of Tools and Weapons, Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith sits down with Ed Policy, President and CEO of the Green Bay Packers, to discuss how purpose-driven leadership and innovation are shaping the future of one of the world’s most iconic sports franchises. Ed shares how technology and community-focused initiatives, from Titletown Tech to health and safety innovations on the field, are transforming not just the game of football, but the economy and culture of Green Bay itself. He explains how combining strategic vision with investment in local startups is keeping talent in the Midwest and creating opportunities that extend far beyond Lambeau Field.

Subscribe and find new episodes monthly, wherever you listen to podcasts.

Egyptians head to the polls to elect a new parliament during the first round of the Egyptian parliamentary elections in Giza, Egypt, on November 10, 2025.
Photo by Islam Safwat/NurPhoto

Egyptians are voting this month in parliamentary elections that aren’t expected to change who’s in charge, but could allow President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to rule beyond 2030.

An injured soldier is transferred to a hospital following a clash between Thai and Cambodian troops over a disputed border area in Sisaket Province,Thailand, December 7, 2025.
Royal Thai Army/Handout via REUTERS

Thailand and Cambodia’s ceasefire is on the verge of collapse. Strikes were launched across their disputed border today, following clashes over the weekend that resulted in the death of a Thai soldier.