Over One Million Flee Violence in Haiti Amid Rising Gang Threats
More than one million people in Haiti are currently displaced due to escalating gang violence, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Alarmingly, half of the displaced persons are children. The internal displacement figure has tripled compared to the previous year, highlighting the severe humanitarian crisis in the country, which has a population of approximately twelve million.
IOM Director General Amy Pope emphasized the urgent need for sustainable humanitarian assistance to save and protect lives. She urged collaboration to address the underlying causes of violence and instability that have led to widespread death and destruction.
The crisis has been aggravated by the deportation of around 200,000 Haitians from abroad in the past year, further straining the already overwhelmed aid services. The violence, primarily driven by gangs that control large parts of the capital, Port-au-Prince, has led to more than 5,000 reported deaths in the previous year.
Haiti has not held elections for over eight years, following the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in July 2021. Currently, businessman Alix Fils-Aime serves as the interim prime minister.
