The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Haiti, Ulrika Richardson, says the ongoing gang violence in the French-speaking country has displaced more than a million people, three times more than last year.
She said the “unprecedented crisis” in Haiti means that every number presented “is a new record.”
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“The suffering that this is causing is immense, and I would say it is really heart breaking to see, to witness, to listen to victims of violence,” said Richardson, speaking to reporters from the Dominican Republic.
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 Kenya-led 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, Antonio Guterres, recently proposed that the global body assume funding for structural and logistical support.
The UN human rights office, OHCHR, indicated that over 5,600 people were killed last year.
It said 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,” Richardson said, noting that children comprise half of the displaced.
“They are really bearing the brunt of the crisis. They’re also recruited by gangs. We’ve seen a 70 percent increase in one year of how they coerce children into gangs.”
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.
“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. (CMC)
