UNITED NATIONS, May 19, CMC -The United Nations Tuesday said that the situation in Haiti continues to deteriorate following armed violence in Cité Soleil, which is a commune in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area.
UN spokesman, Stéphane Dujarric, told the daily briefing that the International Organization for Migration (IOM) says that more than 10,000 people were displaced between May 10 and the 15th nearly doubling initial estimates of 5,300 people.
“More than 70 per cent of those displaced are sheltering across 20 sites, including five newly established ones, while others are hosted by already overstretched communities,” Dujarric said, adding that “our humanitarian colleagues warn of a rapid increase in humanitarian needs across many areas”.
He said assessments conducted by the UN partners highlight high levels of children being separated from their families and that many displaced women fled without their belongings, including essential hygiene items.
At the same time, local organizations say that entire families remain trapped in affected neighbourhoods without any access to the most basic necessities. There are also reports of properties being systematically destroyed.
Dujarric said rising displacement is already straining very limited access to healthcare. He said just 11 per cent of inpatient health facilities remain fully operational in the Port-au-Prince area.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is lending support in assessing the needs and ramp up the response, despite significant access and security constraints.
“For its part, World Food Programme (WFP) is telling us that in the past few days, its teams have been able to distribute 15-day rations containing rice, beans, oil, and fortified flour to about 3,300 people who are taking shelter in temporary displacement sites in the capital.
“WFP has also provided dry commodities to a local organization providing hot meals to displaced people,” Dujarric said, adding that this new wave of displacement worsens an already critical food insecurity situation in Haiti.
“As a reminder, the latest IPC food security analysis, released in March, says that more than half of the entire population doesn’t have enough to eat,” Dujarric told reporters.
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