IOM spokesperson Kennedy Okoth Omondi said, according to the current information, more than 141 thousand people have been displaced in Haiti. Most of these people have been displaced several times.
Whereas, on December 20, 2023, the number of displaced people was recorded at 3.15 lakh.
Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, has been hardest hit by displacement, where violence by armed groups continues and critical services have broken down.
The health and food security situation is of particular concern.
Other provinces close to the capital have also been affected by gang violence and displaced civilians taking refuge there have increased the burden on host communities and limited resources and increased insecurity.
Thousands of people will die in 2024
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said last week that gang violence killed more than 5,600 people in Haiti last year.
In recent weeks, criminal groups have been blamed for killing hundreds of people in separate incidents.
According to the OHCHR, in one incident in the Cite Soleil settlement, people were accused of killing the leader of a criminal gang with witchcraft and then dismembering the victims.
His body parts were then thrown into the sea.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner has recorded 315 cases of lynching of gang members and their associates.
Haitian police officers were also allegedly involved in these incidents.
Burden on basic services
According to the IOM, two million Haitians have been expelled from the Dominican Republic, putting pressure on already overburdened social services.
UN agency spokesperson Omondi said communities are already struggling to survive.
As violence continues in the country, IOM reports that the number of shelters available for displaced people is increasing, but reaching those living in vulnerable situations has become more difficult.
These areas are mainly built around the capital and their number has increased from 73 to 108 in the last one year.
Currently there is massive overcrowding and lack of other basic needs including food, clean water, sanitation and education.
Lack of funds
The United Nations appealed for $674 million for humanitarian aid efforts in Haiti, of which it has succeeded in collecting only 42 percent. $388 million is still needed.
On December 23, the Security Council stressed that the international community must redouble support for the Haitian National Police Force.
At the same time, it is also important to strengthen the multilateral security assistance mission supported by the Security Council. Kenya is leading this mission.
So far, about 750 police have been deployed to Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Jamaica and Kenya, with plans to send an additional 600.