The humanitarian community in Haiti is deeply concerned about the continued escalation of violence

Port-au-Prince, Haiti, 31 August 2023 - The humanitarian community in Haiti seeks the mobilization of the international community as the country witnesses the continued escalation of violence perpetrated by armed groups in Port-au-Prince and in Artibonite. In yet another escalation, between 15 and 29 August alone, renewed attacks resulted in at least 71 people killed and injured among the populations of Canaan, Bel-Air, Carrefour Feuilles, Savanne Pistache and Solino (metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince). Further serious human rights violations and abuses were reported, including kidnapping, lynching as well as sexual and gender-based violence against women, girls and boys. The latest wave of violence has resulted in the forced displacement of more than ten thousand people who have sought refuge in more than twenty spontaneous sites and host families.

"The humanitarian community is deeply concerned about another escalation of violence of extreme brutality. Entire families, including children, were executed while others were burned alive. This upsurge in violence has caused unspeakable continued suffering of Haitians”, said the UN Humanitarian Coordinator a.i., Mr. Philippe Branchat. Despite access challenges due to insecurity, humanitarian partners are reaching the displaced people with immediate aid such as food, water, shelter, sanitation, health, and psychosocial support, particularly for victims of sexual violence.

The humanitarian situation in Haiti has deteriorated significantly in 2023. Nearly half of Haiti's population needs humanitarian and food assistance. Almost 200,000 people have been forced to flee their homes, a tenfold increase in two years. As population displacement has intensified, forced repatriations of vulnerable Haitians from neighboring countries, accompanied by serious human rights violations, have quadrupled compared to 2022.

Since January 2023, more than 2,500 people have been killed, almost 1,000 injured and at least 970 have been kidnapped.

The humanitarian community calls on all actors in the crisis to put an immediate stop to the violence. The people in Haiti cannot continue to live trapped in their homes, unable to feed their families, find work and live in dignity. Children are unable to go to school. The world must act now to prevent further atrocities. We are committed to stand with the people in Haiti and assist in providing immediate assistance to alleviate human suffering. We call on all parties to provide immediate safe and unimpeded humanitarian access in all parts of the country and respect human rights, humanitarian norms and standards.

Find out more on how to support the 2023 Humanitarian Response Plan for Haiti : Haïti – Humanitarian Response Plan 2023 | ReliefWeb

For more information, please contact: Abdoulaye Sawadogo, OCHA Head of Office in Haiti, sawadogoa@un.org Elsa Bedouk, Public Information and Reporting Officer for OCHA Haiti, elsa.bedouk@un.org OCHA Press releases are available here: www.unocha.org ou www.reliefweb.int