Violent gangs, disease and hunger deepen humanitarian crisis in Haiti

Summary

A UNICEF report says nearly 3 million Haitian children need support—the highest number on record—as gang violence, hunger, malnutrition and a resurgence of cholera deepen the country’s humanitarian crisis.

In the Artibonite farming region, mangoes are left to rot because farmers and market sellers cannot safely transport produce. Gang threats have disrupted trade, closed businesses and made key roads dangerous or impassable. The World Food Programme (WFP) is buying food directly from local farmers and supporting markets, but workers say lasting progress will require security as well as investment in infrastructure and education. Haiti’s reliance on cheaper imported food has also weakened local agriculture. A WFP warehouse was previously overrun and set on fire during a looting.

The report links the violence to a political vacuum following President Jovenel Moïse’s 2021 assassination: no elections have since been held, and armed groups have expanded their control. In a gang-controlled neighborhood, a school supported by the WFP and local organization Hands Together provides meals to about 600 children. The school itself has been damaged by stray bullets, and residents can be cut off from food and water for weeks.

The crisis is also visible in severe child malnutrition. At a hospital, a four-year-old boy weighs about 20 pounds, and pediatrician Dr. Florence Stein says conditions are worse than she experienced after the 2010 earthquake. Some families resort to eating mud pies made from mud, salt and butter.

With many Haitians fleeing abroad, the report follows prospective migrants preparing for a perilous sea journey toward the United States. The overcrowded boat trip can last five days or more, but some people say they see migration as their only hope for a future.

Presenters and contributors

• Matt Rivers — ABC News reporter
• George Stephanopoulos — ABC News presenter in the closing segment
• Dr. Florence Stein — pediatrician and hospital director interviewed in the report
• Michael Francois — child interviewed about living amid gang violence
• Paulette, Jeanette and Keisha — people featured discussing malnutrition and migration
• Unnamed WFP representative — interviewed about food distribution and the effects of violence on farmers and markets