Almost half of the Haitian population, or 4.9 million people, struggle to feed themselves, the World Food Program (WFP) warned Thursday, stressing that this figure has tripled compared to 2016.
“We cannot wait to intervene until the scale of this problem translates into deaths, because that is what will happen,” WFP Haiti director Jean-Martin Bauer, from this UN agency based in Haiti, said in a statement. in Rome.
Galloping inflation makes it impossible for millions of Haitians to buy basic food, while according to the World Bank Haiti is one of the ten countries most affected by inflation in food prices.
Insecurity prevents access to resources
The situation is aggravated by the presence of gangs in both urban and rural areas, which prevent the inhabitants, especially women, from moving around and accessing basic services. Some 530 people have been killed and nearly 280 kidnapped since January by gangs rampaging with impunity in Haiti, the UN said on Tuesday, requesting the deployment of a specialized support force.
This violence pushes the inhabitants to flee their homes. The UN estimates that by mid-March, at least 160,000 people were thus displaced within the country and found themselves in a precarious situation. A quarter of the displaced people live in makeshift camps, with very limited access to basic services such as drinking water and sanitation. The famine especially affects children, who become more vulnerable to diseases such as cholera.
To face this crisis situation, the WFP needs 125 million dollars in the next six months. “We desperately need increased funding and a mobilization of political will. The world cannot wait for a major catastrophe before intervening,” insisted Jean-Martin Bauer.
Source: BFM TV
