Harry and Meghan share heartbreak, shock at unfolding events in Haiti, Afghanistan

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan, have shared their heartbreak and shock at the unfolding events in Afghanistan and Haiti and have urged people to join them in supporting organisations doing “critical work” in both nations. 

The duo made these remarks in a statement shared on their Archewell Foundation website on Tuesday, saying: “The world is exceptionally fragile right now.”

“As we all feel the many layers of pain due to the situation in Afghanistan, we are left speechless.

“As we all watch the growing humanitarian disaster in Haiti, and the threat of it worsening after last weekend’s earthquake, we are left heartbroken.

“And as we all witness the continuing global health crisis, exacerbated by new variants and constant misinformation, we are left scared.”

The couple went on to say that, “when any person or community suffers, a piece of each of us does so with them, whether we realise it or not. And though we are not meant to live in a state of suffering, we, as a people, are being conditioned to accept it. It’s easy to find ourselves feeling powerless, but we can put our values into action — together.”

They then went on to urge people to join them in supporting organisations doing “critical work” in both Haiti and Afghanistan and urged world leaders to “rapidly advance the humanitarian dialogues that are expected to take place this fall at multilateral gatherings such as the UN General Assembly and the G20 Leaders’ Summit”.

“As an international community, it is the decisions we make now — to alleviate suffering among those we know and those we may never meet — that will prove our humanity,” the duo concluded in their statement.

Haiti and Afghanistan made international headlines as humanitarian crises unfolded in both nations recently.

At the weekend, a 7.2-magnitude earthquake hit southwestern Haiti, leaving about 2,000 people dead and thousands more injured and displaced. 

The quake knocked down tens of thousands of buildings in the poorest country in the Americas, which is still recovering from an earthquake 11 years ago that killed more than 200,000 people, according to Reuters.

In Afghanistan meanwhile, thousands of civilians and foreigners are desperate to flee the country after the Taliban, fighting since its 2001 ouster to expel foreign forces, seized Kabul on Sunday after a lightning offensive, as US-led Western forces withdrew under a deal that included a Taliban promise not to attack them as they leave, according to Reuters.

— Additional reporting by Reuters