PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – A new report reveals that nearly 6,000 people in Haiti are facing starvation, with almost half of the country’s 11 million population experiencing crisis-level hunger or worse. Gang violence has gripped the capital, Port-au-Prince, and beyond, disrupting daily life and the transportation of goods, severely impacting food security.
According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification report, the number of Haitians suffering from crisis, emergency, and famine-level hunger rose by 1.2 million in the past year, totaling 5.4 million. Gangs now control 80% of Port-au-Prince, restricting access to essential goods and aid. The report found that 5,636 people are at risk of starvation, with another 2 million facing severe hunger.
“This is one of the highest proportions of acutely food-insecure people in any global crisis,” said U.N. spokesman Stéphane Dujarric. Martine Villeneuve, Haiti director for Action Against Hunger, described the situation as “shocking,” with hunger extending beyond areas directly impacted by gang violence.
Double-digit inflation has worsened the crisis, pushing food prices up and making basic items unaffordable. Food costs have risen by more than 11% in the past year, with inflation peaking at 30% in July. The situation is compounded by the aftermath of natural disasters such as the August 2021 earthquake and previous hurricanes.
Despite some efforts by a U.N.-backed mission led by Kenya to curb gang violence, much remains to be done. In the first half of 2024, more than 1,300 people were killed or injured, and 428 were kidnapped. Gang violence has also displaced over 700,000 people.
Humanitarian groups, including Mercy Corps, called for increased funding, with an additional $230 million needed by the end of the year. Dujarric emphasized the need for sustained global efforts to address Haiti’s worsening humanitarian crisis.
Many families, like 28-year-old Joceline St-Louis and her two children, face heartbreaking choices. “Food doesn’t come around very often,” she said, adding that her 1-year-old relies on peanut butter mixes provided by aid organizations to survive. Another mother, Judeline Auguste, struggles to feed her son, who cries from hunger as they go without food for days at a time.
As hunger spreads across Haiti’s northern, central, and southern regions, families like Jean Yonel’s, who fled their homes due to gang violence, are left with little more than white rice or flour mixed with spinach to survive.
The global community faces mounting pressure to address Haiti’s deepening crisis, which continues to claim lives and devastate communities.
(Reporting by Evens Sanon and Dánica Coto for the Associated Press, with contributions from Pierre Richard-Luxama in Port-au-Prince).
