Haiti Crisis

Haiti Map
Source: OCHA/ReliefWeb

The country

Haiti is a Caribbean country on the island of Hispaniola and shares land borders with the Dominican Republic. After declaring its independence in 1804, Haiti became the first nation in the world to be ruled by former slaves. The country covers an area of 27,750 square kilometers. Its capital is Port-au-Prince. In 2022, the country had an estimated population of about 11.3 million people. Haiti is the least developed country in the Western Hemisphere and one of the most fragile states in the world.

The humanitarian situation

In Haiti, millions of people need humanitarian aid to fight hunger. The country has a long history of natural disasters and remains highly vulnerable to hurricanes, earthquakes and floods. In January 2010, Haiti was hit by a major earthquake with a magnitude of 7.0, the epicenter of which was about 25 km west of the capital Port-au-Prince. It is estimated that more than 300,000 people died and about 1.5 million were left homeless. The earthquake was rated as the worst in the region in the last 200 years. On 14 August 2021, a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck southwestern Haiti, killing more than 2,200 people, affecting over 800,000 people and causing widespread destruction.

The 2021 disaster exacerbated an already difficult humanitarian situation marked by ongoing political instability, socio-economic crisis, gang-related insecurity, internal displacement and increasing food insecurity and malnutrition. The socio-political situation in Haiti continues to deteriorate, while violence and crime are on the rise, especially in the urban areas of the capital. The forced repatriation of thousands of Haitian citizens who had emigrated to neighboring countries has further aggravated the already critical situation in the country.

Widespread poverty, rising costs of living, low agricultural production, and expensive food imports have exacerbated existing food insecurity in Haiti, leaving many women, men, and children suffering from hunger and malnutrition. 4.9 million people - more than 40 percent of the population – are acutely food insecure. About 1.8 million people are suffering from emergency levels of hunger. 

At least 4.9 million people in Haiti - including 2.2 million children - were in need of humanitarian assistance in 2022. The United Nations estimates that more than 5.2 million people (46% of the population) will require humanitarian aid in 2023, including 2.6 million children. Humanitarian organizations estimate that $715 million are needed this year to provide life-saving assistance to people affected by the complex crisis.

According to UNICEF, the violence in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince has aggravated an already precarious situation for children and their families. 500,000 children have no regular access to schools, limited access to water and alarming malnutrition rates. 

Cholera broke out again in Haiti in October 2022. As of February 2023, there were more than 33,000 suspected cases, 2,439 confirmed cases, and 594 reported deaths from cholera. Experts fear that the actual number is significantly higher due to underreporting.

Hait LocationThe security situation

President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated on 7 July 2021, leading Haiti into an extra-constitutional governance structure and contributing to the country’s growing fragility. President Moïse's five-year term would have ended on 7 February 2022; his assassination plunged Haiti deeper into political crisis. As a result, the national parliament and regional elections were postponed indefinitely and the new presidential election has not yet been scheduled. On 20 July 2021, the Government of Haiti installed Ariel Henry as prime minister. As of March 2023 Haiti had no president, the parliament did not have any elected member and the Supreme Court did not function due to a lack of judges.

At the same time, kidnappings, killings and gang violence have worsened the economic situation and increased insecurity, particularly in the capital. Gangs control reportedly nearly two thirds of the capital, Port-au-Prince. According to human rights groups and analysts, many of the gangs are linked to political actors.  They also control strategic access routes in the country and have expanded their criminal activities throughout Haiti. Armed gangs  commit serious abuses against the population, including large-scale sexual violence, forcing entire communities to flee.

Since June 2021 recurrent territorial clashes between rival gangs inside and around Port-au-Prince have forced thousands of people to leave their homes.  In 2022, a renewed wave of gang violence killed hundreds of people and further deepened the humanitarian and political crisis in Haiti, forcing ten of thousands more to flee their homes. At least 160,000 people are currently displaced by gang-related violence in the capital.

Since the beginning of 2023, a total of 531 people were killed, 300 injured and 277 kidnapped in gang-related incidents that took place mainly in Port-au-Prince, according to information gathered by the UN Integrated Office in Haiti (as of mid-March 2023). 

The United Nations warn that humanitarian access is seriously compromised by insecurity and the ongoing fuel crisis. The increase in gang violence has prompted the Haitian government to appeal to the international community for help. The government of Prime Minister Ariel Henry has asked for a rapid reaction force to be sent to Haiti to stop the gang violence. The United Nations Security Council has discussed the matter but has not made a decision.

On December 21, 2022 a National Consensus Agreement was signed by a broad spectrum of Haitian political figures, civil society members, clergy, trade unions and the private sector on a way forward on elections.

Donations

Your donation for the Haiti emergency can help United Nations agencies, international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and their local partners to rapidly provide water, food, medicine, shelter and other aid to the people who need it most.

Currently, there are only a few active appeals for the Haiti Crisis. You may also consider making an unearmarked donation.

You can find more organizations to donate to in:  DONARE: Humanitarian Crisis Relief , DONARE: Refugees and IDPS , DONARE: Children in Need and DONARE: Hunger and Food Insecurity.

Further information

Tags