A report by the United Nations' International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports that over 20,000 people have fled Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, due to increased violent gang activities.
This departure comes as residents flee from surging gang violence, further destabilizing an already vulnerable Caribbean nation.
"The isolation of Port-au-Prince is worsening an already critical humanitarian crisis," stated Gregoire Goodstein, Haiti's chief for the IOM. "Our capacity to deliver aid is stretched thin. Without immediate global support, the suffering will multiply exponentially," he warned in an official statement.
The IOM highlighted that approximately 17,000 displaced individuals were already living in temporary shelters, with many having experienced repeated displacements. "This scale of displacement is the largest observed since August 2023," the agency emphasized in a news release.
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Adding to the political turmoil, Haiti's new Prime Minister, Alix Didier Fils-Aime, took office earlier this week, succeeding Garry Conille, who resigned after a brief tenure amid conflicts with the transitional council.
Port-au-Prince remains under siege from heavily armed gangs, which dominate nearly 80% of the city. These groups frequently target civilians despite efforts from a Kenyan-led international force aimed at supporting Haiti’s outgunned police forces.
The rising violence has led to nearly 4,000 fatalities this year alone, according to the United Nations Human Rights Office.
Compounding the crisis, Haiti was further isolated after the United States suspended all civilian flights to the country for a month.
This decision followed incidents where three airplanes were struck by gunfire while either landing in or departing from Port-au-Prince.
