Nearly 6 Million in Haiti Face Severe Hunger as Violence and El Niño Deepen Crisis
A new UN-backed IPC report warns food insecurity could reach 6.35 million by mid-2027, driven by gang violence, displacement and drought.
Nearly six million people in Haiti are experiencing severe hunger, with almost two million facing emergency levels of food insecurity, according to a new report released Wednesday, africanews.com and news.tvb.com reported. About one in two Haitians cannot consistently access enough food in the country of nearly 12 million.
The analysis, published by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a multi-partner UN initiative, projects the number facing severe hunger will rise to 6.35 million — more than half the population — by mid-2027. The figure has increased by nearly a quarter of a million since the IPC's previous report in April.
Rein Paulsen of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said violence and displacement were restricting access to markets, farmland and agricultural inputs, while an intense El Niño was bringing drier-than-normal conditions. "Rain isn't falling. You plant your crops, and you end up with nothing to harvest," said farmer Dieula Célestin, 36.
The FAO is distributing seeds and livestock — including chickens and goats — to help families secure food and income. The World Food Programme said it needs $78 million to sustain operations through March. The crisis coincides with escalating fighting between gangs and a UN-backed security force, after an October 18 attack in Port-au-Prince in which four Salvadoran aviation technicians went missing, prompting El Salvador to deploy more than 1,000 soldiers.