Hunger in Haiti reaches alarming levels, gangs strangle people's lives

The number of Haitians facing crisis, emergency and hunger conditions increased by 1.2 million over the past year, bringing the total to 5.4 million, as gang violence disrupted the transport of goods and prevented people from leaving their homes to buy food, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification report released on September 30.

“This is one of the highest proportions of people experiencing severe food insecurity in any crisis in the world,” said UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric.

A street in Port-au-Prince, Haiti on September 23. Photo: AP

According to the report, 5,636 people facing the worst level of hunger are living in temporary shelters across the metropolitan area. The report also notes that another 2 million Haitians are facing severe hunger. Some of the 2 million people facing hunger do not even live in areas directly affected by gang violence.

Double-digit inflation is also squeezing affordability for many Haitians, with food now accounting for 70 percent of total household spending. The cost of a food basket has risen more than 11 percent over the past year, with inflation hitting 30 percent in July.

Gang violence remains a major cause of famine, with gangs controlling 80 percent of the capital Port-au-Prince and roads leading to northern and southern Haiti, preventing farmers from delivering goods and nonprofits from delivering aid.

Between April and June, at least 1,379 people were reported killed or injured, and another 428 were kidnapped. In addition, gang violence has displaced more than 700,000 people in recent years.

“Haiti continues to face a deepening humanitarian crisis, with alarming rates of armed gang violence disrupting daily life, forcing many to flee their homes, and severe food insecurity on the rise,” the report said.

In 2014, only 2% of Haiti's population was food insecure, but that number has since jumped to nearly 50%, according to Mercy Corps, one of several nonprofits that called for increased funding on September 30.

Among those going hungry is Joceline St-Louis, a 28-year-old mother of two sons, aged 5 and 1. “Food is not always available,” she said, adding that she has to rely on others to feed her children.

“When an organization provides food, there is a big fight going on… Sometimes I get so depressed that I want to kill the children and myself,” she said in a soft voice as she held her 1-year-old child in her arms.

Ngoc Anh (according to AP)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/nan-doi-o-haiti-len-muc-bao-dong-bang-dang-bop-nghet-cuoc-song-nguoi-dan-post314744.html