“Arguably the two most important steps for the restoration of order [in Haiti] are ending the gangs’ power and holding meaningful new elections,” says your article (Haiti crisis: how did it get so bad, what is the role of gangs, and is there a way out?, 12 January). Peace is a laudable aim, as are the free and fair elections Haitians desperately need. But the international community must recognise that ending conflict in Haiti requires a bottom-up approach that is pegged to making sure people do not go to bed hungry.
At this juncture, the failure of donor countries to ensure adequate humanitarian assistance is unconscionable, with 20,000 people facing famine-like conditions in Port-au-Prince and 4.7 million facing food insecurity across the country – almost half its population.
