More than 700,000 people, half of them children, are now internally displaced across Haiti, according to a crisis report by the UN’s migration agency IOM.

The latest figures represent a 22 per cent increase in the number of internally displaced people since June, highlighting the worsening humanitarian situation.

Gang violence has so far forced more than 110,000 people to flee their homes in the last 7 months, particularly in Gressier, west of the capital Port-au-Prince.

IOM’s chief in Haiti Grégoire Goodstein called for more humanitarian aid.  

“The sharp rise in displacement underscores the urgent need for a sustained humanitarian response,” he said Grégoire Goodstein.

 “We call on the international community to step up its support for Haiti’s displaced populations and the host communities that continue to show remarkable resilience in the face of these challenges.”

The majority of displaced people in Haiti, around 75 per cent, are now sheltered in the country’s provinces, with the Grand Sud region hosting 45 per cent of all the displaced.

The capital Port-au-Prince, where the situation remains precarious and unpredictable, hosts a quarter of the country’s displaced. These people mostly reside in overcrowded sites, with little to no access to basic services.

Host communities continue to bear the brunt of this crisis, with 83 per cent of displaced people currently being accommodated by families, the IOM report said.

“The strain on resources is immense, with the majority of host households reporting significant difficulties, including food shortages, overwhelmed healthcare facilities, and a lack of essential supplies on local markets,” it said.

“Local infrastructure and services, particularly in the provinces, are also under significant strain, with food insecurity, adequate shelter and access to healthcare and education among the most pressing needs.

“As humanitarian needs grow, IOM continues to provide critical assistance to both displaced people and host communities despite ongoing access challenges.

“In some of the inaccessible areas including most of the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince, IOM is collaborating with partners to ensure that the much-needed humanitarian assistance reaches those displaced.”

IOM has reaffirmed its commitment to working alongside the Government of Haiti and international partners to provide life-saving assistance and find long-term solutions for the displaced.

“It is crucial that efforts to restore stability and security across the country continue, alongside humanitarian aid to alleviate the immediate suffering of those affected,” Mr Goodstein said.

Haiti’ humanitarian crisis began in 2018 when protests began in cities throughout country in response to increased fuel prices.

Over time, the protests evolved into demands for the resignation of the then president of Haiti Jovenel Moise.

In September 2022, further protests erupted in response to rising energy prices, and a federation of gangs created a blockade around Haiti’s largest fuel depot.

Combined with an outbreak of cholera and widespread hunger, the crisis led the United Nations Security Council to impose sanctions on Jimmy Cherizier, one of the gang leaders.

Since then, there has been widespread gang violence, food shortages and a health crisis.

All this followed a devastating earthquake in 2010 which killed more than 100,000 people and triggered mass homelessness and hunger.