Over 20,000 people have been displaced across the capital of Haiti, Port-au-Prince, in just four days, according to a statement from the United Nations agency, the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The mass displacement is the result of escalating gang violence that continues to plague the Caribbean nation.
“The isolation of Port-au-Prince is amplifying an already dire humanitarian situation,” said Gregoire Goodstein, the IOM’s chief for Haiti. He emphasised the severity of the crisis, adding, “Our ability to deliver aid is stretched to its limits. Without immediate international support, the suffering will worsen exponentially.”
Around 17,000 of the displaced people are currently residing in temporary housing, many of whom have been forced to flee multiple times. The IOM noted that the scale of displacement witnessed in the past week has not been seen since August 2023.
Despite the recent appointment of Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime, who replaced Garry Conille in May after a power struggle with Haiti’s unelected transitional council, the violence in Port-au-Prince remains rampant. Armed gangs, which control about 80 percent of the city, regularly target civilians. In response, a Kenyan-led international force has been deployed to support the Haitian police in restoring order.
The gang violence has already resulted in nearly 4,000 deaths this year alone, according to the UN’s human rights office.
Haiti’s situation has worsened further, with the United States suspending all civilian flights to the country for a month after several jetliners approaching or departing Port-au-Prince were struck by gunfire.
