Haiti displaced more than 1 million: UN | Crime News

Children make up more than half of Haiti's displaced population, a number that has tripled due to relentless gang violence.

The number of people fleeing their homes in Haiti tripled last year to more than a million, according to the United Nations.

The United Nations' International Organization for Migration (IOM) said in a report released on Tuesday that its latest data “shows that 1,041,000 people are struggling with a growing humanitarian crisis, many of whom have been displaced multiple times”.

In the capital, Port-au-Prince, figures show an 87% surge in displacement amid relentless gang violence, a collapse of basic services, especially health care, and worsening food shortages.

Children make up more than half of the displaced population, according to the agency.

“In December 2023, we (recorded) approximately 315,000 people displaced by violence,” IOM spokesperson Kennedy Okos Omondi told reporters.

“One year since then, we have seen the number of people displaced by gang violence in Haiti triple to over one million people.”

Last week, the United Nations said gang violence will kill more than 5,600 people by 2024 and thousands more will be injured or kidnapped.

Armed gangs continue to control much of Port-au-Prince after violence broke out last year. Meanwhile, police have also been accused of violence against gang suspects as ongoing clashes add to the political instability that has plagued the island nation for decades.

The International Organization for Migration noted that 83 percent of displaced Haitians rely on already overwhelmed host communities (including acquaintances, friends and family) for shelter. The rest faced harsh conditions in temporary settlement sites, which increased from 73 to 108 in one year.

To make matters worse, 200,000 Haitians were deported last year, further exacerbating pressure on already overstretched social services.

Violence continues to soar despite Kenya leading a police support mission backed by the United States and the United Nations.

“Haiti now needs sustained humanitarian assistance to save and protect lives,” said Amy Pope, Director-General of the International Organization for Migration.

“We must work together to address the root causes of violence and instability that cause so much death and destruction.”

The Haitian government, with the support of the United States and other Caribbean countries, has also been calling on the United Nations Security Council to authorize a comprehensive peacekeeping operation.

But permanent members of the United Nations Security Council Russia and China opposed the move, insisting that efforts to end gang violence should focus on strengthening Haitian police.