The UN recently warned that the lack of funds for humanitarian aid and increasing needs have put millions of Haitians at risk of chronic vulnerability.
To reverse the situation, The international community and donors will need to increase funding of assistance operations by UN agencies and NGOs, said the Office of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Months of violence have led to a deterioration of Haiti’s humanitarian crisis. Displacement has tripled in the last year as gangs continue to ravage the Caribbean country, with nearly 600,000 people fleeing attacks by these gangs.
Violence and collapse of services
“The indiscriminate violence of armed groups and the near collapse of basic services have plunged Haiti into an unprecedented humanitarian crisis since 2010“OCHA said, referring to the devastating earthquake that hit the country 14 years ago.
Following the sharp escalation of the security situation in the capital, Port-au-Prince, and in Artibonite in the north in February, The number of displaced persons has grown by 60%, According to the latest figures from the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
Violence continues to target civilian infrastructure, and Only 24% of hospitals are still in operation, OCHA reported. Insecurity has also left 1.5 million children without access to school.
Half of the 578,000 displaced people desperately fleeing the capital in search of safety have headed south, where the vast majority are staying with already economically vulnerable host families.
Basic social services, such as education, health and water, hygiene and sanitationalready insufficient to meet the needs of the local population, have been severely affected, OCHA said.
Deportations are on the rise
Meanwhile, forced repatriations of Haitians from countries in the region continue.
Deportations of Haitian nationals even increased, in particular from April onwards, when incidents of violence reached their peak.
IOM reported that In the first seven months of the year, almost 100,000 people were deported to Haiti from countries in the region.
Violent clashes between gangs and authorities have also persisted, even after the arrival in late June of the Multinational Security Support Force, which is seeking to help Haitian police address the crisis.
Hunger and malnutrition
“This wave of violence continues to have humanitarian consequences on populations “in the affected neighbourhoods and towns, but also in areas far from the capital that have become host lands for hundreds of thousands of people,” said OCHA.
Some have been documented 300,000 cases of malnutrition and five million people, Nearly 50% of Haiti’s population faces acute food insecurityaccording to a report earlier this year from a global monitoring group.
According to OCHA, there are fears that the epicentre of the current humanitarian crisis will gradually shift to an increasing number of areas that were previously free of insecurity.
Hurricanes in sight
At the same time, the current one is expected to hurricane season is active and could cause the lives of Haitians to worsen.
Haiti prepares for between four and seven major storms in the coming months.
It takes urgently additional financial resources to meet the growing needs of the Haitian population affected by this multidimensional crisis, OCHA stressed. Without additional funding, these crises will continue.
Concerns that the Food insecurity will continue to spread abound.
Besides, Hundreds of thousands of children out of school They will face the risk of being recruited by armed groups and will grow up without the skills necessary for their future and survival. It is also estimated that half a million vulnerable children and victims of protection incidents will be deprived of mental health services and psychosocial support.
Humanitarian aid is only part of the solution
The UN Office said, however, that while humanitarian assistance is a lifeline for many, “it is only part of the solution.”
“He Government and political and development actors must work together to find lasting solutions to Haiti’s structural challenges,” he stressed, echoing a call made last month by a joint UN and European Union mission to the country.
Eight months into the year, Haiti’s Humanitarian Response Plan for 2024 has received only 33% of the $674 million required.
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