30,000 Displaced in Haiti as Gang Violence and Hunger Crisis Worsen

Around 30,000 people have been forced from their homes in and around Port-au-Prince, Haiti, after a ten-day surge in gang violence and atrocities.

Most of the attacks hit Cité Soleil, a poor neighborhood where humanitarian workers are scrambling to deliver aid.

“There was shooting everywhere. Then they set a fire very close by and we ran away with the whole family,” said Anidette Saint Fleur, a resident who fled with only her ID documents.

“Men with machetes set fire to houses with people inside. They burned, beheaded, shot, killed,” said Dorlean Boudin, another displaced resident. She had to save money by skipping meals to afford transportation to escape.

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has already provided emergency food to 8,500 displaced people, but nine WFP-supported schools serving about 12,000 students have suspended meal distributions.

Nationwide, more than 1.4 million people-over 12 percent of the population-have been uprooted. Gangs now control up to 90 percent of Port-au-Prince. Child recruitment is surging, with children making up 30-50 percent of some gangs.