Almost 100,000 people have fled the Haitian capital pushed by violence

A report by the International Organization for Migration counts 113,000 displacements, of which 96,000 are linked to gang actions.

At least 96,000 people were forced to leave their homes in Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti, pushed by the violence caused by armed gangs, according to a report by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

According to the Swiss-based intergovernmental body, in just five months the number of displaced people has tripled in the country, which is going through an economic, social and political crisis that has worsened since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, in 2021.

The study was carried out between June and August of this year and counts 113,000 displacements, of which 96,000 are linked to violence, while another 17,000 would correspond to victims by the earthquake that shook the south of the country in August last year.

The violence is mainly related to gangs operating in the metropolitan area of ​​Port-au-Prince. These groups act through extortion, kidnapping and broader criminal acts in a context characterized by deep inequalitieshigh levels of deprivation of basic human needs and a fragmented security environment, indicates the IOM.

Neighborhoods with the highest levels of violence often report economic hardship, with recent increases in food and fuel prices further destabilizing already precarious livelihoods.

According to the report, almost eight out of ten displaced people live in host communities, while the remaining 21% remain in settlements set up to give refuge to these people.

The United Nations (UN) coordinator in Haiti, Ulrika Richardson, assured that the organization works “side by side” with allies and local authorities, “to help alleviate the problems faced by the most vulnerable families.”