In Haiti, gang violence has led to the displacement of more than 40,000 people in ten days in Port-au-Prince, according to the UN

Following a new outbreak of gang violence, more than 40,000 people were displaced in ten days in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) announced on Monday, November 25 ). According to the UN agency, this is the worst wave of displacement in two years. In total, more than 700,000 people are displaced in this poor Caribbean country which has more than 11 million inhabitants.

Between November 11 and 20, 40,965 people had to leave their homes in the metropolis of Port-au-Prince due to the violence. Some were forced to flee for the second or even third time, the IOM said.

“This crisis is not just a humanitarian challenge. It is a test of our collective responsibility”commented Grégoire Goodstein, head of IOM for Haiti, in a press release. highlighting the difficulty for UN teams to carry out their mission in these conditions of insecurity.

Murders and kidnappings

Haiti has suffered for decades from chronic political instability and a security crisis linked to the presence of armed gangs accused of murders, kidnappings and large-scale sexual violence.

For two weeks, Port-au-Prince and neighboring communities have been facing a new outbreak of violence fueled by Viv Ansanm (Living Together), a gang alliance formed in February and managed to overthrow the then prime minister, Ariel Henry.