PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – Ongoing gang violence in Haiti has displaced more than a million people, nearly a tenth of the population, or three times more than last year, the UN humanitarian coordinator in the country said on Thursday.
The “unprecedented crisis” in Haiti means that every number presented “is a new record,” said Ulrika Johnson, speaking from neighbouring Dominican Republic to journalists at UN Headquarters in New York.
“The suffering that this is causing is immense, and I would say it is really heartbreaking to see, to witness, to listen to victims of violence,” she added.
An ‘unprecedented crisis’
The situation continues to unfold as funding for humanitarian operations globally dwindles following the recent decision by the United States to halt foreign aid disbursements.
A Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS), authorized by the UN Security Council, is on the ground to assist the Haitian National Police in combatting the gangs. UN Secretary-General António Guterres recently proposed that the global body assume funding for structural and logistical support.
Children suffer most
Richardson said human rights violations have risen when compared to 2024.
Over 5,600 people were killed last year, according to the UN human rights office, OHCHR. Sexual violence is “rampant” and UN children’s agency UNICEF reports “a staggering” 1,000 per cent increase in cases involving children between 2023 and 2024.
“The impact on women and children is enormous,” she said, noting that children comprise half of the displaced.
“They are really bearing the brunt of the crisis,” she continued. “They’re also recruited by gangs. We’ve seen a 70 percent increase in one year of how they coerce children into gangs.”
Deportees and refugees
Meanwhile, five million Haitians require food assistance, the number of children suffering from malnutrition and stunting has increased, and only a third of health institutions are operating.
Haiti is also dealing with the impact of deportations. Last year, some 200,000 nationals were sent back to the country, and many had no home to go to. Haitians are also leaving their homeland, often at great risk. Reports indicate that nearly 400,000 fled last year.
Despite the realities on the ground, and access limitations, humanitarian response continues, including in gang-controlled areas.
It is taking place even as the main airport in Port-au-Prince remains closed since November, affecting the movement of humanitarian goods and personnel both into the country and out from the capital city to the regions.
“We’ve been able to set up a logistics hub in the north, and this has been very helpful, obviously, to be able to receive humanitarian goods and then trying to bring them into the capital,” Richardson said.
US aid freeze
In 2024, the humanitarian community launched a $600 million plan for Haiti, receiving just over 40 percent of the funding. Around 60 percent came from the United States alone.
“Obviously, the US temporary freeze and the stop work order has an impact on us,” she underlined.
This year’s plan will call for just over $900 million to cover assistance such as food, medicine, protection, healthcare and psychosocial support for rape victims.
She expressed confidence that if the UN and partners can mobilize this funding, “we can do our absolute best, and more than that, in terms of the seamless delivery of humanitarian aid to the people that so desperately need this aid.”
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