UNITED NATONS - The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Haiti, Ulrika Johnson, says the ongoing gang violence in the French-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country has displaced more than a million people, nearly a tenth of the population, or three times more than last year.
Haitians left homeless as a result of gang violence (File Photo)She said the “unprecedented crisis” in Haiti means that every number presented “is a new record.
“The suffering that this is causing is immense, and I would say it is really heartbreaking to see, to witness, to listen to victims of violence,” ” said Johnson, speaking to reporters here 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.
Richardson said human rights violations have risen when compared to 2024 with UN human rights office, OHCHR, indicating 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,” Johnson 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 per cent 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.
It is taking place even as the main airport in Port-au-Prince remains closed since November, affecting the movement of humanitarian goods and personnel both into the country and out from the capital city to the regions.
“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.
In 2024, the humanitarian community launched a US$600 million plan for Haiti, receiving just over 40 per cent of the funding. Around 60 per cent came from the United States alone.
“Obviously, the US temporary freeze and the stop work order has an impact on us,” she said, adding that this year’s plan will call for just over US$900 million to cover assistance such as food, medicine, protection, healthcare and psychosocial support for rape victims.
Johnson expressed confidence that if the UN and partners can mobilize this funding, “we can do our absolute best, and more than that, in terms of the seamless delivery of humanitarian aid to the people that so desperately need this aid”.
