ISTANBUL

More than one million people are now displaced in Haiti due to escalating gang violence, with many forced to flee multiple times, according to the latest data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Displacement has tripled in a year, growing from 315,000 in December 2023 to over a million.

Half of those displaced are children, according to the IOM's data.

Highlighting the urgent need for security and aid, “Haiti needs sustained humanitarian assistance right now to save and protect lives," IOM Director General Amy Pope said.

Most of the displaced come from the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area. Many seek shelter in Haiti's provinces, putting pressure on local communities and exhausting already scarce resources.

Displacement sites in the capital have surged from 73 to 108 in a year, with overcrowding and limited access to basic services like food, water, sanitation, and education, according to IOM.

Displacement in the Artibonite department tripled in 2024, affecting over 84,000 people.

"We must work together to address the root causes of the violence and instability that has led to so much death and destruction," Pope said.

Gang violence was responsible for the death of more than 5,600 people in 2024 and they control more than 80% of the capital.

Struggling for years with fundamental issues such as political, economic, and security crises, Haiti, with a population exceeding 11 million, also faces the threat of famine.