Over 1,300 Displaced in Haiti Amid Surge in Armed Violence

(MENAFN) Armed gang attacks have driven more than 1,300 people from their homes in Haiti's South-East department — a region previously spared from the scale of displacement ravaging other parts of the country — marking a dangerous new frontier in the nation's spiraling humanitarian crisis.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric confirmed the figures Friday, drawing on data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The attacks, which struck the municipality of Marigot on April 13, triggered what officials are calling an unprecedented wave of internal flight in the area.

Dujarric described it as "the first time that displacement of this scale directly linked to armed attacks has been recorded in that department."

In response, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has stepped in to synchronize relief efforts with local authorities and humanitarian partners, though significant obstacles remain on the ground.

"However, ongoing insecurity and access constraints, combined with the scale of needs and limited funding, continue to affect the reach and pace of humanitarian assistance in affected areas," Dujarric added.

The financing gap underscoring the crisis is stark. Haiti's $880 million Humanitarian Response Plan has secured just $172 million to date — barely 20% of its target — leaving critical operations severely underfunded.

Meanwhile, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned that more than half of Haiti's entire population continues to endure acute food insecurity, urging the international community to safeguard hard-won progress against hunger and bolster long-term stability in the embattled Caribbean nation.

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