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Crisis Severity0 Very lowVery high 5
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Impact0 Very lowVery high 5
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Humanitarian Conditions0 Very lowVery high 5
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Complexity0 Very lowVery high 5
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Access ConstraintsNo constraintsExtreme constraints
Key figures
Special Reports
Overview
Haiti is regularly affected by natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes, landslides, and droughts. At least 4.4 million people in Haiti (about 40% of the population) were in need of humanitarian assistance as at March 2021; almost 49% of them are children. Food insecurity persists across the country, with approximately 4.1 million people in acute need of food assistance. This is caused by the combined effects of natural hazards and poor socioeconomic conditions. In November 2020, 69% of 11,600 households surveyed reported a decrease in their incomes as a result of the pandemic. During 2019–2020, four million children did not have access to education. Haiti experiences political and social turbulence because of gang violence, which has been on the rise since the second half of 2020. Since June 2021, approximately 18,100 people have been displaced by armed violence, and about 1.5 million have been affected by the inability to access basic services in Port-au-Prince during clashes between gangs. The assassination of President Jovenel Moïse on 7 July adds a new element of political instability to the current crisis, although the potential developments and consequences of the event are not yet clear. ?
INFORM measures Haiti's risk of humanitarian crisis and disaster for 2019 to be high at 6.5/10. Lack of Coping Capacity is of particular concern, at 7.4/10.?
Latest Developments
Since 28 February 2023, clashes between armed gangs over territorial control have increased across the country. Clashes and crossfire have led to confinements and the temporary or permanent closure of some medical centres and forced the temporary suspension of some humanitarian activities. Violence continues to limit the access of people in need to aid. In the city of Port-au-Prince, at least 3,640 people (over 1,000 households) have been displaced since the end of February. Among those displaced, around 1,500 are living in overcrowded IDP camps near combat zones, facing a lack of food, water, hygiene kits, and protection assistance. The spread of violence to the northwest of the country has affected Artibonite department, leaving at least 3,000 additional people displaced since the end of February. Agricultural production has also been affected by the looting of crops and livestock. Protection needs have increased, especially for girls and women, who are more exposed to different forms of gender-based violence, including sexual abuse, kidnapping, and trafficking. ?
Humanitarian Access
HIGH CONSTRAINTS
Haiti faced High humanitarian access constraints in the past six months, scoring 3/5 in ACAPS Humanitarian Access Index. The humanitarian access situation remained stable.
For more information you can consult our latest Global Humanitarian Access Overview – December 2022.
Key Priorities
Food Security: Expected declines in crop production caused by below-average and irregular rains since March, continued inflation, and the effects of COVID-19 containment measures are affecting food security across the country. The 14 August earthquake in southern Haiti has also had a major impact on food security as a result of crop losses, impacts on livelihoods, and the destruction of the food production infrastructure, mainly in the regions of Sud, Grand'Anse, and Nippes. 40.8% of the population is undernourished, and at least 1,338,000 people in Haiti are in IPC 4. ?
Protection: Political instability and territorial control by criminal gangs have expanded in Haiti since the assassination of President Moïse in July. Armed clashes, intimidations, sexual violence, assassinations, and kidnapping threaten the lives and safety of the population. Kidnapping has become a main source of financing for criminal gangs. Sexual violence has been used as a weapon of control and imposition of territorial dominance; girls and women are particularly vulnerable to it, especially when travelling on public transport, returning from school, or during kidnappings. Despite underreporting, at least 75 people a month are victims, especially children and women. The lack of access to health services prevents the provision of physical and psychological help to this population. There are also reports of sexual violence and abuse at border crossings with the Dominican Republic. Men also suffer sexual abuses and violence, often as an initiation rite into criminal gangs. ?
WASH: The 14 August earthquake caused a lack of access to clean water in southern Haiti as a result of the damage and destruction of infrastructure used to supply drinking water. On the other hand, water shortages in Port-au-Prince are mainly caused by the lack of fuel to feed power plants resulting from blockades and restrictions imposed by criminal gangs. This puts the population at risk of spreading waterborne diseases. Humanitarian workers have had to restrict WASH operations because of protection risks to humanitarian staff and shortages of fuel for mobilisation. ?
Cholera outbreak
As of 1 January 2023, over 22,469 suspected cases of cholera (18,729 hospitalised), including some 450 deaths in 9 departments of Haiti, were reported in the outbreak declared at the beginning of October. The rapid escalation in the number of cases has strained the capacity of medical facilities to treat cholera and greater access to vaccines is needed to limit its spread. Many of the cases have come from areas that are largely under gang control. Violence and insecurity pose a significant access challenge for the cholera response, alongside petrol shortages resulting from gang-imposed restrictions – including at some oil ports of entry – that have hampered mobility and humanitarian access. Lack of fuel supply at power plants was affecting the functioning of medical centres and reducing humanitarian operations before the outbreak. The poor functioning of hydropower plants and inability to mobilise water tankers, especially in the hardest-to-reach places for humanitarian aid, has hindered access to clean water, sanitation, and safe food, increasing the risk of a rapid expansion in the number of cholera cases. ?
Armed Gang Violence
Since July 2021, following the assassination of Prime Minister Jovenel Moïse, the socio-political crisis has exacerbated. The crisis has left space for increased armed gangs’ activity and fight for territorial control. Since 24 April 2022, violence has increased in the city of Port-au-Prince and metropolitan area. ?
The upsurge in violence in Port-au-Prince has resulted in 934 killings, 684 wounded and 680 people kidnapped between January and June 2022. Threats, forced recruitment, kidnapping, robbery, and sexual violence are reported. Since the end of April to date at least 17,000 people have been displaced from their homes. Displaced people have taken refuge in makeshift shelters or host families. ?
In Cité Soleil, a commune of Port-au-Prince metropolitan area, confinements and armed clashes between armed gangs have restricted access to goods and services. The inability to bring in water tankers has increased the need for drinking water. Electricity, health care and sanitation services have also been affected. Food security has deteriorated, as livelihoods shortages, price increases and fuel shortages have decreased the availability and accessibility of food. Access to humanitarian aid is limited, humanitarian responders are unable to reach people in need in some areas affected by fighting or road blockages by armed gangs. ?
Political Instability
Since President Jovenel Moïse took office in February 2017, Haiti has faced repeated periods of civil unrest. Recurrent protests took place between 2018–2021. Among the causes of these demonstrations were the rejection of the election results, rising fuel prices, discontent over stark socioeconomic inequalities, and the lack of adequate social services across the country. ?
The assassination of Jovenel Moïse on 7 July 2021 was followed by an escalation in gang violence, with shootings and blockades reported – particularly in the capital city of Port-au-Prince. ?Political instability has increased as Prime Minister Ariel Henry was linked to the assassination of the president on 14 September. Presidential elections scheduled for 26 September were postponed to 7 November, but the dismissal of the Provisional Electoral Council on 28 September could again delay the process. ?
Since July 2021, gang violence remains a concern and a driver of humanitarian needs in Haiti. Confrontations between urban gangs have caused the displacement of around 19,000 people, especially in Delmas, Fontamara, and Martissant neighbourhoods of Port-au-Prince, and resulted in the damage of thousands of houses. ? Gang violence has left around 1,100,000 people in need of immediate humanitarian assistance. ?