Nearly half of Haiti’s population is facing daily struggles to find food as the country battles “the worst hunger crisis in the western hemisphere,” according to a new report. The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and partner organizations estimate that 5.4 million Haitians are experiencing severe food insecurity—a record high for the Caribbean nation, making it the region with the highest concentration of acutely food insecure people globally. The WFP’s findings suggest an increase of 600,000 people falling into “crisis” level hunger since earlier this year and in 2023.
A coalition of 12 major aid agencies is urging immediate intervention to address the worsening hunger crisis, attributing it to gangs controlling major roadways, which is disrupting food supplies and driving up prices.
“Without urgent action, the worst hunger crisis in Haiti will continue to worsen, with devastating effects on millions of vulnerable people,” warned civil society groups in Port-au-Prince, including Action Against Hunger, Save the Children, and Mercy Corps, in an open letter.
Ten years ago, only 2% of Haiti’s population was food insecure. However, the situation deteriorated after President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated in 2021, leading to gang dominance over 80% of the capital.
This year’s surge in gang violence—prompting Haiti’s interim leader Ariel Henry to step down—halted shipping and airport operations, cutting off crucial food supplies in the import-dependent nation.
The compounding factors of gang-imposed tolls, inflation, and worsening poverty have led to food consuming up to 70% of household expenditures, according to the coalition of 12 NGOs. Blockages in southern Haiti, a key food distribution area, have persisted for months, said Angeline Annesteus, president of the Cadre de Liaison Inter-Organisations (Clio), a network of 80 Haitian and international NGOs.
“While markets may have food, violence and inflation have made prices unattainable for millions,” Annesteus said. “What we’re facing in Haiti is not a food shortage but a full-scale hunger crisis.”
The WFP reports that two million Haitians are at “emergency” hunger levels, one step below famine. Aid organizations highlight that family heads are forced to choose between feeding themselves or their children. Displaced populations, currently numbering over 700,000, are particularly vulnerable to malnutrition and disease, with 6,000 Haitians at risk of dying from starvation.
Increased displacement has led many to seek refuge in schools and public buildings. Women and girls are increasingly coerced into exchanging sex for food.
Humanitarian groups are struggling to support those in need, facing a funding shortfall of $230 million. “We must not turn our backs on the worst hunger emergency in the western hemisphere,” stated WFP’s executive director, Cindy McCain, calling for greater international support to scale up life-saving assistance for families facing extreme food shortages, rising malnutrition, and deadly diseases.
In June, Kenya sent 400 police officers to Haiti as part of a UN-supported mission to curb gang violence. However, the mission has stalled due to a lack of the $600 million needed for its implementation.
On Monday, the UN Security Council voted to extend the mission for another year, but a proposal by the US and Ecuador to designate it an official UN peacekeeping force—making it eligible for international funding—was blocked by China and Russia.
According to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the first half of 2024 saw 3,661 people killed in the ongoing violence.
