The 15 and 16 August the Support Group for Returnees and Refugees (GARR) visited the various sites hosting returnees in Anse-à-Pitre, the visit was designed to gather information on the situation of returnees from the Dominican Republic that are installed in this border town.

At the camp "Pak Kado", located at the foot of a hill, is there a hundred hovel covered with straw and made of cardboard, the lack of trees in the hosting site exposes its occupants to the sun and dust. In this makeshift camp live about 115 families the majority of them have been repatriated from the Dominican Republic, on 17 July 2015. The residents of the camp are struggling for access to clean water and food.

"We are dying of hunger here. There is an organization that brings us food, but not regularly. It gives us every week a small food kit that can serve us for two days," said one of them.

Some of the resident of "Pak Kado" interviewed by GARR would like return to their place of origin, however, for lack of economic means, they can not get there.

"Tête à l'eau", a second camp located about 3 kilometers from that of "Kado Pak" houses fifty hovel made of cardboard and fabrics used, the situation is equally precarious for 140 families.

One women resident declared "[...] We would like the State build houses to relocate us with dignity and help us to return to our place of origin."

The situation of a third site, that of Fond Jeannette is not much better located at the foot of a hill, it houses 103 families living in huts made of straw, cardboard and fabrics used, however they have access a water point, a river, with the risk of waterborne diseases.

See also :

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-14900-icihaiti-social-220-haitians-repatriated.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-14859-haiti-humanitarian-the-government-unable-to-meet-the-needs-of-haitians-returning.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-14470-icihaiti-social-nothing-to-properly-welcome-our-compatriots.html

HL/ HaitiLibre