More than 40,000 people fled their homes in Port-au-Prince in the space of just ten days this month, according to the International Organization for Migration. The Haitian capital is witnessing a spike in gang violence despite the presence of a multinational security mission.
On Monday the International Organization for Migration described the exodus as the worst wave of displacement in two years, with a total of 40,965 people in Port-au-Prince on the move between November 11 and 20 – some for the second or third time.
According to Gregoire Goodstein, the IOM chief in Haiti: "The scale of this displacement is unprecedented since we began responding to the humanitarian crisis in 2022".
For the past two weeks, several neighbourhoods of Port-au-Prince and the surrounding area have been the sites of violent clashes involving "Viv Ansanm" or "Living Together" – an alliance of gangs formed in February aimed at overthrowing then-Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who resigned in April.
In total, over 700,000 people have been displaced in Haiti.
"This crisis is not just a humanitarian challenge. It is a test of our collective responsibility," Goodstein added.
Gang warfare
Haiti has suffered from political instability for decades, with the latest security crisis linked to the presence of armed gangs that are accused of widespread murder, kidnapping and sexual violence.
The United Nations says gangs control around 80 percent of Port-au-Prince, and regularly attack civilians despite the deployment earlier this year of a multinational security mission led by Kenya.
In its new report, Human Rights Watch said attacks on civilians have risen in the past year, including an expanded use of "horrific sexual abuse".
The United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) has also warned that children now make up almost half of gang membership.
'Dark times'
The reports come as a member of Haiti’s transitional presidential council has publicly criticised remarks by French President Emmanuel Macron, who was caught on camera calling the Caribbean country’s leaders "total morons".
The council’s former president, Edgard Leblanc Fils, said in a statement late Sunday that Macron had insulted an entire nation "living through dark times".
Macron was filmed making the remarks on the sidelines of the G20 meeting in Brazil earlier this month as he criticised the council’s decision to abruptly oust Prime Minister Garry Conille after only six months.
"They’re total morons," Macron had said, referring to the council. "They never should have dismissed him".
After dismissing Conille, the council appointed Alix Didier Fils-Aimé as the new prime minister.
A history of violence: Haiti's revolution, collapse and descent into anarchy
In his statement, Leblanc said "[Macron] did not hesitate to interfere in a matter that essentially concerns the Haitian authorities by declaring that he supported Prime Minister Conille, that the latter was great".
Macron’s remarks prompted Haiti’s Foreign Ministry to summon France’s ambassador to Haiti late last week, calling the president’s comments "unfriendly and inappropriate".
Leblanc seized the opportunity to criticise how France, a former colonial power, had forced Haiti to pay the equivalent of billions of dollars to secure its independence.
"Haiti’s independence, acquired at the cost of blood, should not be subject to any compensation," Leblanc said. "This ransom must be returned. It will be returned sooner or later".
Fils-Aimé has promised to restore stability to the country, aiming to hold national elections for the first time since 2016.
(with newswires)
