The United Nations food agency recently reported that since mid-August, violence in Haiti has forced about 40,000 people to flee their homes due to an increase in crime in the poor Caribbean Island.
The World Food Program, located in Rome, stated that the displacement is worsening “an already complex humanitarian crisis, where almost half of the country faces acute levels of food insecurity.”
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Large portions of the nation are under the influence of violent gangs, and the UN issued a warning last week about a rise in random killings, kidnappings, rapes, and attacks in several formerly safe communities.
WFP noted in a released statement, “Women, children, the elderly, and other vulnerable groups are bearing the brunt of a brutal conflict in which dozens of armed groups battle over territory.”
The agency reported that during the previous two and a half months, tens of thousands of people had been “chased from their homes… often fleeing with just the clothes they are wearing.”
The statement added, “These recent movements bring the total number of displaced people across the country to over 200,000.”
Since mid-August, WFP and its partners have provided 550,000 hot meals; but, due to financing constraints, the organization is frequently only able to offer one meal per day as opposed to the customary two.
According to Jean-Martin Bauer, the WFP’s country director in Haiti, “we urgently need $136 million to meet the needs of the most vulnerable Haitians over the next six months.”
The organization explained that to give displaced people more financial support and let them choose their own food while simultaneously supporting the local economy, it was in the process of switching from supplying hot meals to cash assistance.
