Nearly six million people in Haiti are suffering from severe hunger, and approximately two million are in emergency conditions, as a new report highlights the compounding crises of gang violence, elevated food prices, and a powerful El Niño weather phenomenon. These factors are significantly threatening food security in the Caribbean nation of nearly 12 million.
The United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization stated that Haiti's level of acute food insecurity is among the highest globally, with more than half of its population struggling to secure adequate food daily. Projections suggest that by mid-2027, this figure could rise to 6.35 million people.
The number of Haitians facing severe hunger has increased by nearly a quarter of a million since the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification's last report in April. Maxime Ngalula, country director for Action Against Hunger in Haiti, described the current numbers as "alarming in comparison with other years."
Many affected individuals reside in makeshift shelters and communities targeted by heavily armed gangs engaged in conflict with Haiti's National Police and a U.N.-backed gang suppression force. This widespread violence has disrupted farming, forcing farmers from their land, and has blocked major transportation routes, preventing essential goods from reaching the capital and other areas. Ngalula noted that organizations face challenges in reaching those in need, with families sometimes traveling up to nine miles to access food distribution sites.
Action Against Hunger is providing cash and food aid, but the ongoing displacement of families due to gang violence presents persistent challenges. "The strategy now is how to accompany these people or follow them," Ngalula stated.
Food insecurity in Haiti has worsened significantly since 2014, when only 2% of the population was affected. A devastating Hurricane Matthew in 2016, which destroyed crops, followed by a surge in gang violence, has been linked to the escalating hunger crisis.
The U.N.'s World Food Program has indicated a need for $78 million to maintain its operations in Haiti through March, urging an urgent scaling up of humanitarian assistance.
The rise in hunger coincides with an increase in fighting between gangs and the U.N.-backed force, particularly after the disappearance of four Salvadorean aviation technicians in an Oct. 18 attack in Port-au-Prince. El Salvador subsequently deployed over 1,000 soldiers to Haiti.
Davina Hayles, head of mission in Haiti for Doctors Without Borders, expressed concern over the intensified violence in densely populated areas of the capital, fearing further casualties and displacement, especially with the arrival of additional international security forces.