Surging violence threatens humanitarian aid efforts in Haiti, UN agency says

By Laura Gamba

BOGOTA, Colombia (AA) - An unprecedented surge in gang violence plaguing Haiti is preventing the World Food Programme (WFP) from reaching 370,000 people in urgent need of food, country director Jean-Martin Bauer has said.

"The recent upsurge in violence has blocked cargo routes, restricted movement and closed schools, forcing WFP to temporarily halt many activities across the country," Bauer said in a statement on Thursday. “We can't afford to lose ground when 1.4 million Haitians face emergency levels of hunger.”

According to the UN agency, 44% of Haitians “face acute food insecurity and struggle to feed their families.” WFP has called for “unimpeded access for aid agencies and the free flow of food commodities to prevent already-dire levels of hunger from becoming catastrophic.”

UN human rights chief Volker Turk on Friday said January was the most violent month in Haiti in more than two years. The conflict between armed gangs which has worsened during the last few weeks, has forced nearly 10,000 people to flee their homes in just 10 days.

At least 806 people were killed, injured, or kidnapped last month and some 300 gang members were also killed or injured, “bringing the total number of people affected to 1,108 – more than three times the number recorded in January 2023,” said Turk.

Between Jan. 20 and Feb. 7, at least 16 people were killed and 29 injured mainly in the context of confrontations between protesters and police during anti-government demonstrations.

Haiti is immersed in a political, economic, and social crisis amid a spiral of violence at the hands of armed gangs that terrorize the population with their killings, kidnappings, rapes, and attacks.

​​The country's situation led the UN Security Council to approve last October the sending of a multinational security support mission led by Kenya, which so far has not materialized.