Armed gangs set fire and looted the convent and infirmary of the Missionary Sisters of Charity in Sanfil, in the Bas-Delmas area of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The gangs were led by a former police officer, Jimmy Chérizier, who is now one of the most feared gang leaders in the violence-torn city and responsible for one of the worst massacres in the slums of Port-au-Prince.

Armed gang members under the leadership of Chérizier invaded the site of the missionary sisters and wrecked havoc in the compound. They looted the convent and the infirmary and then set the buildings ablaze. One of the sisters, Sister Paësie, reported the incident to Father Cipriano, a missionary and founder of the “Family Kizito” community for needy children in Haiti. Father Cipriano said that,

“The items, which were stolen, are still on sale in the market near Saint Joseph’s School. The sisters have been in this house since 1979, when Saint Teresa of Calcutta opened the center. They have been serving the people of Bas Delmas for 47 years. Every year they have received around 1,500 inpatients and almost 30,000 outpatients here free of charge.”

The Missionary Sisters of Charity in Sanfil have helped countless people in need and successfully operated their facilities for nearly a half century. They are now in a grave situation where many valuable things were lost. These were lost to senseless violence that spreads through Haiti, where self-proclaimed leaders of violent gangs rule many districts and terrorize the citizens. In October, to help the victims of the ongoing violence in Haiti, El Salvador signed an agreement to join in the multinational security assistance mission of the United Nations. Salvadorian troops will carry out medical evacuations in the conflict zones.

Source: Agenzia Fides

Photo: FMT