Children account for more than half of Haiti’s displaced population, which has tripled amid relentless gang violence.
The number of people in Haiti who have fled their homes has risen threefold in the last year to more than one million, according to the United Nations.
The UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) said in a report released on Tuesday that its latest data “reveals that 1,041,000 people, many displaced multiple times, are struggling amidst an intensifying humanitarian crisis”.
The figures show that in the capital, Port-au-Prince, displacement has surged by 87 percent, driven by relentless gang violence, as well as the collapse of essential services – especially healthcare – and escalating food shortages.
According to the agency, children make up more than half of the displaced population.
“In December 2023, we [recorded] around 315,000 people were displaced from the violence,” IOM spokesman Kennedy Okoth Omondi told reporters.
“One year since then, we have seen the number tripled to over a million people who have now been displaced because of gang violence in Haiti.”
Last week, the UN said gang violence was responsible for the death of more than 5,600 people in 2024, with thousands more injured or kidnapped.
Armed gangs maintain control of most of Port-au-Prince following an outbreak of violence last year. At the same time, the police are also accused of perpetrating violence against gang suspects, as the ongoing conflict serves to worsen the political instability that has plagued the island nation for decades.
The IOM noted that 83 percent of displaced Haitians depend on already overburdened host communities, including acquaintances, friends, and family, for shelter. The rest face harsh conditions in makeshift sites, which have increased from 73 to 108 within a year.
Adding to the crisis, 200,000 Haitians were deported back to the country last year, further straining its already overwhelmed social services.
Despite a Kenyan-led police support mission, backed by the United States and the UN, violence has continued to soar.
“Haiti needs sustained humanitarian assistance right now to save and protect lives,” IOM Director General Amy Pope said.
“We must work together to address the root causes of the violence and instability that has led to so much death and destruction.”
The Haitian government, backed by the US and other Caribbean nations, has also been calling for the UN Security Council (UNSC) to authorise a full-scale peacekeeping operation.
But Russia and China, permanent members of the UNSC, have opposed the move, insisting that efforts to stop the gang violence should instead be focused on strengthening the Haitian police.
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