113 000 People Displaced by Gang Violence in Haiti - IOM

According to the IOM report between June and August of this year, 113 000 people have been forced to move internally, 96 000 of them from Haiti's capital.

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The organization, which is part of the United Nations (UN) system, said that "the assessment, conducted between June and August 2022, identified more than 113 000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Haiti. Of these, 96 000 individuals fled insecurity in the capital due to gang violence and social unrest."

Inhabitants of Port-au-Prince's most vulnerable and poorest neighborhoods are subject to blackmail, kidnappings, murders and criminal acts due to gang-generated violence.

In this context, the IOM reported that displaced persons have tripled since July. According to the organization, one-fifth of Port-au-Prince neighborhoods have been affected by the widespread violence since then.

Criminal gangs are operating in Cité Soleil, Martissant, the lower Delmas area, places historically targeted by gangs in the country's capital, are now also present in Laboule areas. 

Haiti is currently suffering from a resurgence of cholera, aggravating the severe economic, social and political crisis affecting the nation. Cholera has already spread to 8 of the country's 10 departments. Health authorities have reported 52 deaths from the disease so far.

This comes at a time when gangs are blocking fuel distribution. The insecurity left in a scenario marked by increased violence has made it difficult for many sick people to access hospitals to fuel shortages, health centers have been forced to reduce their services.