Haiti faces one of the most severe food crises in the world that only worsens due to the steep cuts of funds for PMA relief programs.
“We urge international partners to take a step forward to allow the PMA and the partners to provide not only emergency assistance to save their lives, but also to invest in programs that address the fundamental causes of hunger,“Wanja Kaaria, director of the agency in Haiti said.
The PMA reported that the armed groups now control almost 90 percent of the capital of the country, port prince, which leads to the highest food prices for a population that already faces a serious food insecurity and obstructs the access of farmers to the markets.
More than 16,000 dead
An amazing 1.3 million people, more than half of them children, have been forced to flee His homes in search of food and shelter, says the PMA, while more than 16,000 people have been killed and about 7,000 wounds since January 2022, according to the UN Human Rights Chief, Volker Türk.
Violence is spreading beyond the country’s capital and in the nearby regions: fertile land for more weapons, drugs and human trafficking, Türk said, in an update on the situation in Haiti to the Human Rights Council.
“More children are being subjected to traffic, exploitation and forced recruitment by gangs,” he continued. “We can only imagine the long -term impact, for the children of Haiti and for society in general.”
‘Stay without options and hope’
The PMA requires $ 139 million for the next 12 months to reach the most vulnerable families of Haiti. Currently, financing deficits have forced the agency to suspend hot meals for newly displaced families and Cut food rations in half.
For the first time, the PMA has not prepared for food stocks to respond to any climate -related disaster during the Atlantic Hurricane season due to the lack of resources.
“Today, More than half of all Haitians do not have enough to eat“Mrs. Kaaria said.” With our current levels of financing, the PMA and the partners are struggling to keep hunger at bay for thousands of the most vulnerable: children, mothers, entire families who are running out of options and hope. “
Despite the challenges, PMA has reached more than two million people in need since January 2022 and is working with the Haitian government to provide school meals to thousands of students, among other help.
State violence
In its update, Mr. Türk expressed concern that security forces backed by the Haitian government have been responsible for an “unnecessary and disproportionate lethal force” in their fight against gangs.
More than half of the murders and injuries so far this year have been at the hands of state authorities, with 174 people executed by alleged gang membership.
The members of the Security Council vote on a resolution project on a new gang suppression force in Haiti.
The government has also been using explosive or attacked drones, in an attempt to purge the capital of armed groups, which is “illegal according to the International Human Rights Law” – kill at least 559 people in mid -September.
New force supported by the Security Council
The new gang suppression force (GSF) of more than 5,000 armed staff to neutralize gangs and protect the population was authorized earlier this week by the UN Security Council.
But the details of how it will be financed and which countries will supply troops have not yet been completed. Read our explanator about how the GSF is taking shape, here.