PORT-AU-PRINCE: The United Nations on Tuesday reported that more than 53,000 people were forcibly displaced from Port-au-Prince within only three-week span last month, amid a surge in gang violence ravaging the Haitian capital.
According to a report issued by the UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM), between March 8 and March 27, a staggering 53,125 people fled the city, joining the ranks of the 116,000 already displaced in recent months across Haiti.
The vast majority of those fleeing Port-au-Prince in March headed south, the IOM revealed, with violence and insecurity cited as the primary motives for their exodus.
The report underscored the challenges posed by this mass displacement, highlighting the strain it places on provinces lacking adequate infrastructure and host communities ill-equipped to accommodate such large influxes of displaced people.
Gang Violence in Haiti
Haiti has been gripped by a wave of violence since late February, as powerful gangs united to launch coordinated attacks on police stations, prisons, the airport, and the seaport in an attempt to oust Prime Minister Ariel Henry. The escalation in violence follows months of escalating insecurity, plunging the country into a severe humanitarian crisis characterized by food shortages and the near-collapse of healthcare infrastructure.
A separate report from the UN last week revealed that in the first three months of 2024, up to March 22, 1,554 people had been killed and 826 injured as a result of the violence.
Despite Henry’s announcement on March 11 of his intention to step down and pave the way for a transitional council, the formation and installation of such a council have been delayed due to disagreements among political parties and stakeholders over the appointment of the next prime minister, as well as concerns regarding the council’s legal legitimacy.
Moreover, Kenya, which had agreed to lead a long-awaited UN-approved mission to Haiti, has postponed its plans until the transitional council is established and operational.
