Nov 17, V7N – More than 20,000 people have been displaced across Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, in just four days, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The UN agency has raised alarms over the worsening humanitarian crisis in the region, driven by relentless gang violence.

With armed gangs controlling nearly 80% of Port-au-Prince, the city has become a battleground, forcing thousands of civilians to flee their homes. The IOM reported that around 17,000 of the recently displaced individuals were already in temporary shelters, many enduring repeated relocations.

“This level of displacement hasn’t been seen since August 2023,” the IOM stated, underscoring the dire conditions in the capital. Gregoire Goodstein, IOM's Haiti chief, emphasized the urgency of international aid:

“Without immediate international support, the suffering will worsen exponentially.”

The crisis coincides with a political transition, as Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime took office earlier this week, following months of instability under his predecessor, Garry Conille. Despite the deployment of a Kenyan-led international force, the Haitian police remain outmatched, and gang-related violence continues unabated, causing nearly 4,000 deaths this year, according to the UN.

Adding to the nation’s isolation, the United States recently banned all civilian flights to Haiti for a month after gunfire struck three jetliners near Port-au-Prince. This has severed critical links for aid delivery and international support.

As the displacement crisis escalates, humanitarian organizations warn that their resources are stretched to the limit. The IOM’s appeal highlights the urgent need for global solidarity and immediate intervention to alleviate the suffering of Haiti’s population.

With the situation deteriorating rapidly, the world watches as Haiti faces one of its most challenging periods in recent history.

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