Haiti’s Displacement Crisis Triples as Gang Violence Surges

GENEVA (AP) — Internal displacement in Haiti has tripled over the past year, surpassing 1 million people, according to the U.N. migration agency. The surge, driven by relentless gang violence in Port-au-Prince, marks a record high for the Caribbean nation.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported Tuesday that the crisis has led to a collapse in health care, worsening food insecurity, and a near-doubling of displacement in the capital. Haiti, one of the world’s poorest countries, now faces an intensifying humanitarian emergency.

“The latest data reveals that 1,041,000 people, many displaced multiple times, are struggling amidst an intensifying humanitarian crisis,” the Geneva-based agency said in a statement. Children account for more than half of the displaced population.

The figure represents a threefold increase from December 2023, when 315,000 people were displaced. Kennedy Okoth, an IOM spokesman, attributed part of the crisis to the forced return of approximately 200,000 people, mostly from the neighboring Dominican Republic, over the past year.

Okoth noted that the number of displacement sites in Port-au-Prince has risen from 73 to 108 in the last year. The U.S. Biden administration has supported Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians, but concerns remain about potential policy changes under future leadership.

As gang violence escalates, Haiti’s government swore in Mario Andrésol as the new secretary of state for public security on Tuesday. Andrésol, a former director of Haiti’s National Police, pledged to combat crime and gang activity. “We have to think and rethink strategies to fight crime,” he said at a news conference.

Prime Minister Alix Fils-Aimé, who attended the inauguration, emphasized the need for collaboration. “The Haitian people deserve to live in peace,” he said. “If we work nonstop, that can be changed.”

The U.N. Human Rights Office reported last week that gang violence claimed at least 5,600 lives in 2024, a 20% increase from the previous year. More than 2,200 people were injured, and nearly 1,500 were kidnapped.

Volker Türk, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, called for urgent action to restore the rule of law. He urged strong support for the U.N.-backed Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS), which has deployed only 500 of its pledged 2,500 personnel.

Despite challenges, the MSS and Haitian police have achieved some successes, including the killing of a high-profile gang leader in December. However, Türk stressed the need for stricter enforcement of U.N. sanctions and an arms embargo to stem the flow of weapons to gangs.

“Weapons flowing into Haiti often end up in the hands of criminal gangs, with tragic results,” Türk said. “Thousands killed, hundreds of thousands displaced, essential infrastructure and services disrupted and destroyed.”