Tens of thousands of Haitians left Port-au-Prince after days of violence

In the space of two weeks, more than 33,000 people have fled the metropolitan area of ​​Port-au-Prince to seek shelter from escalating gang attacks, the Organization announced on Friday March 22. International Organization for Migration (IOM).

In the streets of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, March 12, 2024. AFP - CLARENS SIFFROY

By: RFI with AFP

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“ 

In recent weeks, armed attacks have intensified in the Metropolitan Area of ​​Port-au-Prince (ZMPP), the capital of

Haiti

. In addition to creating displacement within the ZMPP, attacks and generalized insecurity are pushing more and more people to leave the capital to find refuge in the provinces, taking the risks of passing through roads controlled by gangs

 ,” explained the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in a statement.

Thanks to the implementation of data collection at the most used bus stations, the IOM observed between March 8 and 20 the departure of 33,333 people from the capital, mainly to join the departments of the Great South which are already welcoming 116,000 displaced people who have fled in recent months. But these “ 

provinces do not have sufficient infrastructure and host communities do not have sufficient resources that can allow them to cope with these massive displacement flows coming from the capital

 ,” specifies the IOM. Many of the more than 33,000 people who fled the capital were already internally displaced, sometimes multiple times.

“

Extremely alarming

 ” situation

Haiti, which was already experiencing a deep political and security crisis, has been plagued by renewed violence since the beginning of March 2024, when several gangs joined forces to attack strategic locations in Port-au-Prince, saying they wanted to overthrow

Prime Minister Ariel Henry

. Highly contested, the latter was unable to return to his country after a trip to Kenya at the beginning of the month.

Ariel Henry agreed to resign on March 11 and, since then, negotiations to form transitional authorities to head the country have been underway. But in the meantime, armed gangs are further extending their hold on the capital, of which they already controlled some 80%. “ 

Over the past few days, gangs have advanced into new areas of the capital

 ,” Ulrika Richardson, UN humanitarian coordinator for the country, said on Thursday, describing an “

extremely alarming

 ” situation.

Read also Faced with the chaotic situation in Haiti, “restocking pharmacies is extremely difficult”

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