The United Nations Calls More Than 1 Million People Sustainable Due To Gang Violence In Haiti

JAKARTA - More than a million people are now displaced in Haiti, more than half of the children, where gang violence continues despite UN-backed security missions began last year, according to UN data on Tuesday.

The number of 1.04 million displaced people released by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) showed a three-fold increase from December 2023, when 315,000 people lost their homes.

It has never been before that so many people have fled due to violence in the country, according to UN data.

"Haiti needs ongoing humanitarian assistance right now to save and protect lives," IOM Director-General Amy Pope said in a statement, stressing the need to address the root causes of violence and instability.

Meanwhile, IOM spokesman Kennedy Okoth Omondi said at a press conference in Geneva, Switzerland, shelters were getting narrower, with many struggling to get basic services such as food and water.

Migrant deportation from the Dominican Republic and elsewhere has added to the burden on society, he said.

"What really makes things worse is the fact that we have seen deportations repeatedly still happening back to Haiti, where people are basically struggling to survive," he explained.

It is known that armed gangs in Haiti now have almost total control over the capital Port-au-Prince and broad authority over the entire country.

An international mission approved last year in charge of restoring order has so far only deployed a small number of troops, although two Guatemalan army contingents arrived this month to add troops to the mission.