Nearly 1.5m displaced in Haiti as gang violence spreads: UN
International Desk
Haiti’s displacement crisis is rapidly spreading beyond its capital, with nearly 1.5 million people uprooted across the country, according to a report published by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
Nearly 80 percent of the internally displaced population is now located outside Port-au-Prince. The sharpest recent rise occurred in the Artibonite department—once considered a safe haven—as armed gangs expand their control into rural regions.
In Kenscoff, near the capital, recent gang attacks displaced over 4,000 people amid reports of arson, kidnappings, and killings.
Hundreds of thousands are currently living in precarious informal settlements and collective sites, leaving them acutely vulnerable during the Atlantic hurricane season. IOM Haiti Senior Emergency Coordinator Elise Verron warned that a major storm could trigger another severe humanitarian disaster for already uprooted families.
