As violent gang battles exacerbate an already dire humanitarian situation, the World Food Programme (WFP) is unable to provide food to hundreds of thousands of people in Haiti due to a recent uptick in violence in the country’s capital, Port-au-Prince.
Over 370,000 people in the most urgent need of food have not been reached by the UN food agency, which recently stated that the most recent violence, which started in early February and has forced over 10,000 people to evacuate their homes in only 10 days, has stopped them from doing so.
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Jean-Martin Bauer, the country director, stated in a statement, “The recent upsurge in violence has blocked cargo routes, restricted movement, and closed schools, forcing WFP to temporarily halt many activities across the country.”
According to the WFP, the organization has been unable to assist in feeding about 300,000 children hot meals because of school closures, and it is also unable to reach families in the hard-hit Cite Soleil area due to violence.
It said that arrangements to provide food to displaced persons in other parts of the capital through communal kitchens had been difficult.
The organization claimed that in recent weeks, it was unable to get in touch with 56,000 individuals in Cite Soleil, including those who were about to fall back into the WFP’s most severe category of food insecurity, which is characterized by circumstances akin to famine.
Tanya Birkbeck, head of communications for WFP in Haiti, stated, “Interruptions in aid could push them back into what is officially known as ‘catastrophe’ levels of food insecurity.”
According to Birkbeck, the WFP would continue to make efforts to distribute the dry products, which include rice and beans, that are safely stored in its warehouses.
According to U.N. estimates, 44% of Haitians experience acute food insecurity, and as of January, children made up more than half of the 314,000 people who were forced to leave their homes because of the war.
The deployment of an international force to assist authorities in combating gangs and safeguarding corridors for humanitarian assistance was approved by the U.N. last year. The United Nations has not disclosed the list of nations contributing voluntarily, nor has a deadline for its deployment been established.
Other humanitarian organizations, such as Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders), have been forced to halt clinic operations and close hospitals due to the violence, while the World Food Program had to reduce financing due to underfunded campaigns last year.
