Haiti Gang Violence Would Worsen Hunger in the Country - UN
The United Nations on Tuesday claimed that hunger in Haiti would worsen due to the country's ongoing gang violence.
In a statement on Tuesday, the UN World Food Program (WFP) said that "surging and deadly gang violence" in Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, contributed to more difficult food access for people who are in the area.
"The situation is spiraling out of control already... Large parts of Port-au-Prince are controlled by gangs; the data we have, show that the situation over the past 90 days has gotten worse," WFP Haiti Country Director Jean Martin-Bauer said, adding that there were at least one million in the city who are called "food insecure."
Bauer also said in a statement that a large part of Haiti's population was cut off from the economic heart of the country, and hunger is reportedly rising significantly in several areas, including the capital and the south of the country.
The UN WFP pointed out that at least 4.4 million Haitians need immediate food assistance. That number attributes to almost half of Haiti's population.
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Haiti Gangs Block Roads, Prompting Food Supply Shortages
The UN agency also noted that gangs in Haiti have also blocked the road leading to the country's southern peninsula. This caused a cut in food supply for 3.8 million people living in the southern departments from Port-au-Prince.
UN-WFP also noted that they resorted to using sea routes rather than trucks, so that vulnerable Haitians outside the country's capital would still receive food assistance.
Bauer pointed out that humanitarian workers are transported by air through the UN's Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS), contending that it is only the safe option for them. However, the funding for UNHAS is also facing a dilemma.
"Without adequate funding, UNHAS faces imminent closure by the end of July 2022. Ultimately, this puts not only WFP's assistance but humanitarian operations across the country at risk," Bauer highlighted.
Haiti Gang Violence Kills 50, Injures 50 More Others
The gang violence in Haiti is also taking a toll on the lives of the civilians in the country.
According to Associated Press, dozens of people have died and were injured in four days due to the rival gang fights in the country's capital.
Cite Soleil District Deputy Mayor Jean Hislain Frederick said that at least 50 people had died and more than 50 were left injured after the fight between rival gangs erupted on Friday last week.
Meanwhile, Cite Soleil Mayor Joel Janus previously told Reuters that the bullets during the gang fight went through the roofs and killed the civilians.
The violence appeared to be a fight between the G9 and the GPEP gangs.
Meanwhile, the group Doctors Without Borders called on Haiti's gangs to "spare the civilians" from their gang fights.
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written By: Joshua Summers
WATCH: Gangs Strangle Haiti's Capital as Violence Soars - From Associated Press