UNITED NATIONS, May 29, CMC -The United Nations says nearly 1.5 million people have been uprooted across Haiti as of May this year and with 95,000 being “newly displaced” during the period December last year to May this year.
UN Deputy Spokesman, Farhan Haq, said the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) say in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area, violence has driven the number of displaced people to more than 300,000.
“…and that’s for the first time, and that’s primarily due to armed clashes in the neighbourhood of Cite Soleil in March and also in May. Fighting is also driving continued displacement in Artibonite department. Overall, nearly 80 per cent of displaced people are outside the capital,” Haq told reporters.
He said that the IOM is also reporting a significant increase in returns, with more than 165,000 people going back to their areas of origin compared to more than 87,500 returnees documented in December.
“Many families report that conditions are not yet in place for them to sustainably reintegrate back into their communities of origin. Across Haiti, the vast majority of displaced people are hosted by families or living in precarious conditions, straining already vulnerable communities,” Haq said.
He said food, livelihoods, shelter, water and sanitation, as well as access to healthcare, continue to be the most urgent priorities for both displaced people and returnees.
“Our humanitarian partners continue to respond, despite the access constraints and the security situation and the lack of funds,” he said, adding that “a scale-up of the response is critical, given growing needs, but the US$880 million Humanitarian Response Plan for Haiti is just under 23 per cent funded, with US$198.7 million in the bank”.
Haiti has been facing severe socio-economic problems that has grown significcantly ever since the July2021 asassination of President Jovenel Moise. The French-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country is attempting tohold elections this year. Elections were last held there in November 2016.
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