Rrapid during the 2000s, progress in the fight against hunger in the world was interrupted in the middle of the 2010 decade. Over the recent period, the number of victims of hunger has even increased from 580 to 730 million people between 2019 and 2023, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
This regression is not due to an overall deficit in agricultural production. It results from the multiplication of barriers to accessing food: Covid-19 epidemic, hardening climatic conditions, widening inequalities, rising prices of basic products, etc.
When armed conflicts add to these global factors, the situation turns into a food catastrophe. This is the case today in Sudan or Gaza. We are very close to this in Haiti where the majority of the territory is now classified as having a serious food crisis by international organizations.
Since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021, the country’s chronic political instability has continued to worsen. The presidential seat remained vacant. Prime Minister Ariel Henry, in charge of the executive, has not stemmed the gang war. His forced resignation in April 2024 transformed instability into political chaos.
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No less than three prime ministers have succeeded one another since April, against a backdrop of increasing gang power. Initially based in certain neighborhoods of Port-au-Prince, these organizations now control 70% of the capital. Their attacks have led to several total interruptions of air traffic and massively affect port activity. Of the 10 departments of the country, 4 have territories which are under their direct influence.
Drastic reduction in purchasing power
Caught between the different armed factions, a growing part of the population is subject to forced displacement. More than 700,000 Haitians (6% of inhabitants) have been forced to flee the most risky areas. Some remain stuck in camps located near the capital. Others manage to reach the northern and southern regions, less affected by the increase in violence.
According to the World Food Program, just under 5.5 million Haitians, half the population, are food insecure, including 2 million in a critical situation. Four barriers, all directly linked to political chaos, block access to food for the greatest number of people.
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