Haiti aid groups halt operations as thousands flee gang warfare

FILE PHOTO: A woman stands next to stacked school furniture, as she and others shelter at a school after fleeing their neighbourhood Carrefour Feuilles when gangs took over, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti August 16, 2023. REUTERS/Ralph Tedy Erol/File Photo

(Reuters) - Haitian aid groups backed by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) are temporarily shutting down operations, including some mobile health clinics, following days of extreme violence in parts of the Caribbean nation's capital Port-au-Prince.

"In a matter of days, violence escalated dramatically in Port-au-Prince, particularly affecting neighborhoods where the IRC collaborates with local organizations to provide vital services," the aid group said on Thursday.