The number of people displaced by gang-related violence in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, has tripled in the past five months, according to a report published this week by the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The assessment, conducted between June and August 2022, identified over 113,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Haiti. Of these, 96,000 men, women and children fled insecurity in the capital, due to inter-gang violence and social unrest. An additional 17,000 people remain displaced as a result of the worst earthquake in a decade, which devastated the country’s southern regions in August 2021.
Gang-related violence in Port-au-Prince Metropolitan Area has resulted in killings, racketeering, kidnappings, and wider criminal acts in a context characterized by deep inequalities, high levels of deprivation of basic human needs, and a fragmented security environment. IOM says neighborhoods with the highest levels of violence often report economic distress, with recent surges in food and fuel prices further destabilizing already precarious livelihoods.
More than 4.9 million people in Haiti - including 2.2 million children – are in need of humanitarian aid, many of them suffering from hunger and malnutrition. Widespread poverty, the rising cost of living, low agricultural production and expensive food imports have exacerbated existing food insecurity in Haiti. About 1.8 million people are suffering from emergency levels of hunger. More than 19,000 people are facing catastrophic hunger.
On August 14, 2021, a 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck southwestern Haiti, killing more than 2,200 people, affecting over 800,000 people, and causing widespread destruction. The country has been in the grips of widespread gang-driven violence for more than a year. Already the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, the Caribbean nation is also suffering from a severe economic crisis that has led to massive protests, looting, and the return of cholera.
Established in 1951, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is the leading intergovernmental organization in the field of migration that brings together governments from 174 member states. The U.N. agency works closely with intergovernmental and non-governmental partners to support migrants across the world including internally displaced persons, refugees, and migrant workers. The organization is also active in emergency situations. IOM is based in Geneva.
Further information
Full text: Haiti — Information Sheet on Forced Displacement (June — August 2022), International Organization for Migration, released October 28, 2022
https://displacement.iom.int/reports/haiti-information-sheet-forced-displacement-june-august-2022