More than 700,000 internally displaced people in Haiti

Photo: Clarens Siffroy Agence France-Presse People wait for a food distribution at a camp for displaced people at Lycée Marie Jeanne in Port-au-Prince on September 30, 2024.

Agence France-Presse in Geneva

Published at 10:11 a.m.

• Amériques

More than 700,000 people, half of them children, are currently internally displaced in Haiti, forced to flee because of the dire humanitarian situation and gang violence, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Wednesday.

As of early September, the IOM, a UN agency, counted exactly 702,973 displaced people. This represents an increase of 22% compared to the situation in June, the organization said in a statement.

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“The sharp increase in displacement underscores the urgent need for a sustained humanitarian response,” said Grégoire Goodstein, head of IOM in Haiti. “We call on the international community to strengthen its support for Haiti's displaced populations and host communities who continue to demonstrate remarkable resilience in the face of these challenges.”

The majority of Haiti’s displaced people, about 75 percent, are now hosted in the country’s provinces, with the Grand Sud region alone hosting 45 percent of all displaced people, the agency said.

The capital Port-au-Prince, “where the situation remains precarious and unpredictable, hosts a quarter of the country’s displaced people, often residing in overcrowded sites with little or no access to basic services.”

Host communities “continue to bear the brunt of this crisis,” IOM said, noting that 83 percent of displaced people are currently hosted by families.

“The pressure on resources is immense, with the majority of host households reporting significant challenges, including food shortages, overwhelmed health facilities and a lack of essential supplies in local markets,” the UN organization insists.

According to it, local infrastructure and services, particularly in the provinces, are also under severe pressure, with food insecurity, adequate housing and access to health care and education among the most pressing needs.

The security situation remains critical in Haiti, despite the establishment and arrival of the Kenya-led Multinational Mission for Security Support (MMAS).

National roads are still occupied by armed gangs, who control the vast majority of the Haiti, already the poorest country in the region, has long suffered from gang violence, but in recent months it has intensified and further aggravated an almost permanent humanitarian crisis.

These gangs are accused of numerous murders, rapes, looting and kidnappings for ransom.

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