Haiti: Harrowing needs must be met with long-term engagement

(United Nations News) Migrants and Refugees

Escalating gang violence across Haiti has pushed displacement to record levels, deepening an already severe humanitarian crisis and leaving nearly 1.5 million people without a stable place to live, according to new figures released Friday by the UN migration agency, IOM.

The crisis is extending beyond traditional centres of insecurity. Families across both urban and rural communities continue to flee attacks, often multiple times and with increasingly limited options for safety.

“Haiti’s displacement crisis is entering an even more alarming phase,” said Gregoire Goodstein, IOM Chief of Mission in Haiti.

In May alone, renewed attacks in the densely populated Cité Soleil district – the capital’s largest slum – displaced more than 18,000 people within days. 

The surge pushed the number of internally displaced people in Port-au-Prince above 300,000 for the first time on record.

Mr. Goodstein described the experience of one woman who fled Port-au-Prince after her community came under gang attack: “To reach safety, her family waded through the sea up to their necks, then crawled through farm fields covered in mud and waste to avoid being seen by the gangs,” he said.

Most of those fleeing the uptick in violence have sought shelter in overcrowded spontaneous sites or moved in with host families already struggling to meet their own needs.

Safe areas under pressure

The spread of insecurity has increasingly blurred the distinction between areas of conflict and areas of refuge.

Just weeks before the violence in Cité Soleil, armed attacks in Haiti’s South-East Department displaced more than 5,000 people. 

The region had previously been considered a safer destination for people escaping unrest elsewhere in the country.

Humanitarian agencies say this shift reflects a worrying trend: communities that once absorbed displaced families are now becoming displacement hotspots themselves.

At the same time, the crisis has been compounded by continued forced returns. Since the beginning of 2026, more than 110,000 Haitians have been returned to the country, including women, children and other vulnerable groups. 

Many arrive with few resources and limited support, returning to areas already affected by insecurity or struggling to absorb additional population pressures.

Among returnees are particularly vulnerable groups, including unaccompanied children, pregnant women and postpartum women, many of whom face difficult and unsafe conditions upon arrival.

Essential services stretched 

Across displacement sites and within host communities, humanitarian needs continue to grow. Displaced families report severe shortages of shelter, food, clean water and healthcare. 

Access to psychosocial support also remains limited despite widespread trauma linked to repeated displacement and exposure to violence.

Overcrowded living conditions and deteriorating access to services are also increasing protection concerns, including heightened risks of exploitation and abuse.

Humanitarian agencies warn that conditions could worsen further as the Atlantic hurricane season begins. Flooding and severe weather pose an additional threat to thousands of displaced people living in temporary and overcrowded shelters with limited protection from storms.

Supporting solutions

Despite insecurity and difficult operating conditions, IOM and humanitarian partners continue to provide emergency support across some of Haiti’s hardest-hit areas.

Current efforts include emergency shelter, healthcare, water and sanitation services, psychosocial support, relief supplies and site management assistance. 

Aid agencies stress that humanitarian assistance alone will not be enough. Haitian communities need support that extends beyond emergency relief, including improved safety, access to basic services, legal identity documentation and paid work opportunities.