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	Conflict and violence threatens lives and livelihoods across west and central Africa by OCHA, WFP, Unicef, IRC, NRC, agencies   June 2025   Conflict leaves almost 29 million Sahelians need lifesaving assistance and protection services. (OCHA)   Across the Sahel, 28.7 million people are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance and protection services – people who have been forced to flee their homes, who cannot provide their families with food or clean water, who have lost their loved ones and their livelihoods, and who lack access to the most basic protection and social services.   The UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has today published the 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Requirements Overview (HNRO) for the Sahel, and warns that lives will be put at risk if humanitarians are not given the resources needed to support those in need across the region.   The humanitarian needs caused by this complex web of interlinked crises, which is exacerbated by instability, increasing violence, conflict and insecurity, and the impact of climate change, are concentrated around the Central Sahel and the Lake Chad Basin. The report provides an analysis of the crises faced, how this impacts people’s lives, and the nature of the humanitarian response.   Humanitarians are appealing for US$4.3 billion to meet the urgent needs of 18.4 million people in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Mali, Niger, and Nigeria.   Last year more than 16,800 people were killed in violent security incidents in the Sahel. This widespread violence has also led to the closure of more than 9,900 schools and 922 health centres, limiting people’s access to critical health and education services.   Meanwhile between June and August this year, 12.8 million people in the region are projected to face food insecurity, and 2.6 million children are expected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition this year. These crises are driving increased displacement, with the Sahel home to 2.1 million refugees and asylum seekers and 5.9 million internally displaced persons. Many have faced multiple displacements.   http://reliefweb.int/report/chad/hnro-2025-almost-29-million-sahelians-need-lifesaving-assistance-and-protection-services   25 Mar. 2025   UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk on Tuesday condemned the recent attack on a mosque in Kokorou village, in western Niger, in which at least 44 worshippers were killed and 20 injured.   On 21 March, assailants from the so-called Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) – an ISIL affiliate – surrounded Fambita Mosque and randomly shot at worshippers, according to a statement from Niger’s defence ministry. They then reportedly set a market and several homes on fire.   “The egregious attack on the Fambita Mosque – during Friday prayers in the last 10 days of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan – was clearly intended to cause as many civilian casualties as possible”, said Mr Turk.   This is “in stark violation of international human rights law and humanitarian law,” he emphasised, adding that an impartial investigation should be instituted to bring those responsible to justice.   Regional insecurity   The attack came in the context of a general deterioration in the security situation in the wider Sahel region.   In recent years, the Sahel has seen a major uptick in violence, following the expansion of armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL terrorist groups which took over territory in north Mali following the 2012 Tuareg rebellion there.   Since then, the violence has spread into neighbouring countries, Niger and Burkina Faso, and more recently into some other coastal West African nations.   UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed characterised the Sahel as “ground zero” for one of the most brutal security crises in the world.   Despite efforts by Member States, terrorism-related deaths in the region have reportedly soared past 6,000 for three consecutive years, making up more than half of all global fatalities.   Mr. Turk said the “calculated assault” on Fambita Mosque should be a wake-up call to all – including the international community – “as to the seriousness of the situation and the widening risks faced by civilians in Niger.”   Governments in the region have continued to struggle with restoring security. This contributed to two military coups in Mali, two in Burkina Faso and one in Niger between 2020 and 2023 – all remain under military rule despite regional and international pressure to hold elections.   The High Commissioner called on the Nigerien authorities to take “concrete and meaningful steps” to improve security for civilians and called on them to take effective measures to uphold human rights and the rule of law. He said it was essential that authorities involve the affected communities in efforts towards finding a durable solution to the ongoing human rights crisis in the country.   http://www.ungeneva.org/en/news-media/news/2025/03/104771/niger-mosque-attack-which-killed-44-should-be-wake-call-says-rights   June 2024   For the second year in a row Burkina Faso is the world’s most neglected displacement crisis, according to a new report from the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC). The normalisation of neglect is exacerbating needs and deepening despair.   The annual list of neglected displacement crises is based on three criteria: lack of humanitarian funding, lack of media attention, and a lack of international political and diplomatic initiatives compared to the number of people in need. The crisis in Cameroon is listed second, having featured on the list every year since 2018. The Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, and Niger follow in this grim ranking, meaning that for the first time all three countries in the central Sahel are among the top five most neglected crises.   “The utter neglect of displaced people has become the new normal,” said Jan Egeland, Secretary General of NRC. “The local political and military elites disregard the suffering they cause, and the world is neither shocked nor compelled to act by stories of desperation and record-breaking statistics. We need a global reboot of solidarity and a refocus on where needs are greatest.”   This year’s list represents a continued race to the bottom. Scores that would have placed a country third on last year’s list leave it outside this year’s top ten. Across all three metrics we have seen a deepening of neglect, most starkly in the ongoing reduction of humanitarian funding. The lack of international support and attention is further compounded by the insufficient media freedom in many countries featured on this list.   In 2023, the shortfall between humanitarian appeals and money actually received amounted to $32 billion - $10 billion higher than in 2022. That vast deficit meant 57 per cent of needs remained unmet. Whilst the funding gap is large, it is far from impossible to close. If each of the five most profitable listed companies worldwide contributed just five per cent of their 2023 profits, the funding gap could be matched in a second.   “We urgently need investment for the world’s most neglected crises. These investments must be made both in the form of diplomatic initiatives to get warring parties to come to the negotiating table, as well as funding commensurate with needs from donor countries,” said Egeland.   “Critically, we need those economies not contributing their fair share of global solidarity to step up.”   Far from the media spotlight, the crisis in Burkina Faso further worsened since topping the list last year. Violence killed more people and forced civilians to flee more times in 2023 than in any year since the conflict began in the country in 2019. Up to two million people are trapped in 39 blockaded towns across the country, leaving hundreds of thousands cut off from aid.   “We have not received any assistance for a long, long time. In periods like this, when we do not have anything else to cook, I go and pick leaves and boil them in water. This pot will feed more than 10 people in my family. This week we have only eaten leaves most days,” said Asseta, a displaced mother now living in Kongoussi, north Burkina Faso.   “It is becoming increasingly hard to reach people in desperate need in Burkina Faso. Roads are too dangerous to use due to frequent attacks. The minimal air service that exists cannot get anywhere close to meeting the scale of needs, and is also prohibitively expensive. It’s critical that donors and humanitarians continue to prioritise areas that are out-of-sight and ensure they do not become out-of-mind,” said Egeland.   http://www.nrc.no/news/2024/june/once-again-burkina-faso-is-the-worlds-most-neglected-crisis/ http://www.unhcr.org/news/briefing-notes/unhcr-urges-global-response-neglected-humanitarian-crisis-sahel http://www.unocha.org/news/mali-forgotten-crisis http://reliefweb.int/report/burkina-faso/burkina-faso-mali-and-western-niger-humanitarian-snapshot-30-july-2024 http://www.openglobalrights.org/humanitarian-crisis-sahel-worsening/ http://www.wfp.org/stories/thousands-flee-sahel-conflicts-un-plan-strengthens-resilience-host-countries http://odihpn.org/publication/the-gendered-impacts-of-the-climate-crisis-in-the-sahel-an-urgent-call-for-climate-resilient-livelihoods/   Dec. 2023   A forecast 46.7 million children face another year of humanitarian need in West and Central Africa mainly due to ongoing conflict and insecurity, including in the central Sahel region and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the massive displacement of women and children into Chad from Sudan.   UNICEF in the region is urgently appealing for funding support in its 2024 Humanitarian Action for Children (HAC) appeal, which would help reach an estimated 24.1 million children, up from 23.5 million in 2023.   “West and Central Africa is home to a large number of critically underfunded emergencies, and some of the most neglected humanitarian crises in the world for children,” said UNICEF Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Felicite Tchibindat. “Children do not cause conflicts but are powerless to stop them. We need to do more to build a lasting solution for the region’s children and give them hope as they grow up in the midst of chronic and forgotten crises."   More than a third of the funding requirement in 2024 is to address malnutrition in the region, and the prevalence of wasting in children under five years remains high. The Sahel countries are the most affected with several areas of Burkina Faso, Mali and north-west Nigeria showing emergency levels of child wasting that exceed 15 per cent. In the year up to the end of October 2023, 1.9 million children under five years were admitted for treatment of severe wasting across nine Sahel countries, representing a 20 per cent increase as compared to the same period in 2022.   Lack of funding remains a major hindrance to humanitarian response in the region, with UNICEF’s two most underfunded appeals globally coming from the region. The 2023 appeal for the humanitarian needs in Burkina Faso ($227 million) was only 11 per cent funded, while the $862 million 2023 appeal for the Democratic Republic of the Congo was only 13 per cent funded.   Some of the region’s humanitarian emergencies include:   The people of Burkina Faso continue to experience a multidimensional humanitarian crisis that has worsened since 2019. More than 2 million people are displaced inside the country. A de facto blockade by armed groups of areas where more than 1 million people live or have sought refuge has deprived people of free movement and necessary supplies.   In Cameroon, 4.7 million people (including 2.5 million children) urgently require humanitarian assistance due complex and multifaceted crises: armed conflict causing internal and cross-border displacement, intercommunal violence, disease outbreaks (including cholera and measles) and seasonal flooding.   Violence, population movements and natural disasters continue to weigh heavily on the children of the Central African Republic. Despite some decrease in insecurity and conflict-related violence, 2.8 million people (nearly half of the country’s population) will require humanitarian assistance in 2024. This includes 1.3 million children.   Among the recent crises in Chad has been the large influx of Sudanese refugees and Chadian returnees since April 2023. Chad hosts around half of all refugees in West and Central Africa (1 million out of 2.2 million). Protracted and rapid-onset multidimensional crises, aggravated by climate change, have created a challenging humanitarian situation for the people of Chad, and 7.6 million people will need humanitarian assistance in 2024.   The Democratic Republic of the Congo is home to the highest number of United Nations-verified grave violations against children globally, and one of the highest numbers of internally displaced people. An escalation of armed conflict in the country is severely impacting 14.9 million children, who are harmed by recurrent disease outbreaks, endemic sexual violence and growing access constraints – all exacerbating vulnerability and heightening child mortality. Increased military operations in 2024, along with hostilities expected after withdrawal of the United Nations peacekeeping mission, will add to children's risks.   Mali is experiencing unprecedented and rising humanitarian needs. An estimated 8.8 million people, more than 40 per cent of the population, are projected to be in need of humanitarian assistance in 2024. The departure of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali (MINUSMA) is expected to be completed by 31 December 2023, and this has impacted conflict dynamics and resulted in fresh hostilities.   The Niger continues to face a combination of crises: persistent armed conflicts, climate-induced disasters, nutritional emergencies and epidemics, all of which have been exacerbated by political instability following a military coup in late July 2023. In 2024, an estimated 4.3 million people, including 2.4 million children, will require humanitarian aid.   Armed conflict in northeast Nigeria continues to adversely affect the lives and prospects of 7.7 million people, 60 per cent of them children. Additionally, 474,000 people in the country's northwest and 489,000 in Benue State have been displaced due to armed violence, including farmer-herder violence.   In four West African coastal countries (Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana and Togo), children and adolescents in northern regions are facing the humanitarian consequences, including population displacement, of the spillover of the Sahel crisis. In these four coastal countries the number of internally displaced persons, returnees and refugees is now estimated at 123,000, including 36,000 children. These numbers could increase given political and conflict dynamics across Burkina Faso, Mali and the Niger.   http://www.unicef.org/wca/press-releases/467-million-children-risk-malnutrition-displacement-poor-health-learning-loss-west http://www.wfp.org/news/food-insecurity-and-malnutrition-reach-new-highs-west-and-central-africa-funding-address-acute http://interagencystandingcommittee.org/about-inter-agency-standing-committee/statement-principals-inter-agency-standing-committee-one-five-people-central-sahel-needs   June 2023   Humanitarian community warns that 34.5 million people need humanitarian assistance as violence haunts the Sahel region. (OCHA, agencies)   Driven by spiraling violence, displacement, food insecurity and climate hazards, the humanitarian crisis in West Africa’s Sahel region is rapidly deteriorating with one in three people now in need of urgent aid and protection, according to the Humanitarian Needs and Requirement Overview for the Sahel 2023, published today by the United Nations and humanitarian partners.   Insecurity is displacing entire communities, across Sahel and beyond the region, hampering social cohesion, and is contributing to a food and nutrition crisis affecting 11.2 million people.   Of a total population of 109 million people in the region covered by the assessment, more than 34 million need humanitarian aid and assistance. Nearly 6 million people are considered having “catastrophic” needs. More than half of those in need are children.   In 2023, 6.6 million people are on the move due to persecution, conflict and human rights violations. More than one million of them fled across international borders as refugees. Attacks by non-state armed groups and the fear of imminent attacks account for nearly 75 percent of displacement in the region.   Insecurity and attacks on aid workers is also reducing humanitarian space and making it challenging for organizations to operate in the field and for affected people to access aid.   The Sahel region, already grappling with desertification, is also facing seasonal flooding which last year resulted in more than 1000 deaths and 2.9 million people displaced. The floods also destroyed nearly half a million homes and devastated 1.5 million hectares of agricultural land.   UN-coordinated response plans for 2023 are being implemented in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Mali, Niger, and Nigeria (north-east), requiring $4.6 billion in funding this year. The current funding level across the response plans is 16 per cent, or $723 million received.   "The crisis in the Sahel is an acute humanitarian concern. If current trends continue, increasing numbers of people will be unable to meet their vital needs," said Charles Bernimolin, Head of the Regional Humanitarian Affairs Office (OCHA) for West and Central Africa in Dakar.   "This overview of needs should encourage the world to pay attention to this region and donors to increase their funding. Increased support is needed to prevent vulnerable people from being deprived of assistance, children from losing access to education, women from being deprived of protection and the entire population from facing even greater food insecurity. Time is running out.   http://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news-feature/2023/12/05/burkina-faso-blockaded-towns-war-crimes-and-mutual-aid http://unocha.exposure.co/sowing-the-seeds-of-hope-amid-despair http://reliefweb.int/report/burkina-faso/sahel-crisis-humanitarian-needs-and-requirements-overview-2023 http://reliefweb.int/report/burkina-faso/wfp-burkina-faso-country-brief-july-2023 http://reliefweb.int/report/mali/nearly-one-million-children-mali-risk-acute-malnutrition-end-2023-unicef-wfp http://www.wfp.org/news/thousands-children-niger-risk-severe-nutritional-crisis-border-closures-leave-trucks-stranded http://reliefweb.int/report/niger/statement-unicef-representative-niger-stefano-savi-severe-impact-ongoing-crisis-millions-vulnerable-children http://unocha.exposure.co/northeast-nigeria-ringing-the-alarm-bell-on-the-malnutrition-crisis http://www.acaps.org/en/countries/archives/detail/nigeria-conflict-in-the-northeast-and-northwest http://news.un.org/en/story/2023/06/1138172   May 2023   West and Central Africa Region: Child Rights - UNICEF Humanitarian Dashboard (January-December 2022)   Across West and Central Africa (WCA) in 2022, children remained exposed to fragile and increasingly life-threatening environments, with 69 million children in need of humanitarian assistance. Children in the region were again affected by multi-dimensional humanitarian crises caused by sustained violent social, intercommunal and political conflicts, climate-related shocks, food insecurity and disease outbreaks such as epidemics in several countries.   The compound impact of these crises has led to increased displacement and reduced access to essential services, including the closure of health facilities and schools. By the end of 2022, the number of displaced persons (IDPs, refugees and asylum-seekers) across the WCA region was estimated at 16.5 million people, including over 9 million children.   Protracted food insecurity and malnutrition across the region has been further exacerbated by global shocks, including the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and price inflation in the wake of the Ukraine crisis.   http://reliefweb.int/report/burkina-faso/save-children-calls-urgent-investigation-after-least-70-civilians-including-children-killed-burkina-faso-massacre http://www.icrc.org/en/document/burkina-faso-icrc-and-burkinabe-red-cross-society-call-respect-international-humanitarian-law http://reliefweb.int/report/burkina-faso/severe-humanitarian-crisis-persists-people-living-under-blockade-djibo http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-briefing-notes/2023/04/burkina-faso-killing-civilians http://reliefweb.int/report/burkina-faso/west-and-central-africa-region-child-rights-humanitarian-dashboard-january-december-2022   Mar. 2023   Ten million children in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger are in dire need of humanitarian assistance – twice as many as in 2020 – largely due to spiralling conflict, while nearly 4 million children are at risk in neighbouring countries as hostilities between armed groups and national security forces spill across borders.   'Extreme Jeopardy' looks at how children are increasingly caught up in the armed conflict, as victims of intensifying military clashes, or targeted by non-state armed groups.   The Sahel has long been one of the most vulnerable regions in Africa. But armed conflict and intensifying military clashes are putting lives and livelihoods at risk, disrupting access to services and leaving the futures of the central Sahel’s children in extreme jeopardy.   In brutal new lows, children are being directly targeted by non-state armed groups who operate across vast swathes of Mali and Burkina Faso, and increasingly in Niger. Hundreds of children have been abducted across the three countries, many of them girls.   Since 2021, non-state armed groups have destroyed food reserves in a region that is among the hungriest and most malnourished on the planet. Some armed groups that oppose state-administered education burn and loot schools, and threaten, abduct or kill teachers. National security operations against armed groups, meanwhile, have resulted in multiple instances of children being killed, injured and arrested. Many schools and hospitals are being damaged or destroyed across the three countries.   The insecurity and displacement are spilling over central Sahel borders and unfolding in remote communities with scarce infrastructure and resources, where children already have very limited access to the services they depend on for survival and protection. All this is happening in one of the most climate-affected and water-scarce regions in the world.   This crisis urgently requires a stronger humanitarian response, but it also needs long-term, flexible investment for sustainable development that contributes to peacebuilding within these communities, especially for children. Tackling underlying causes, strengthening social services and anticipating crises can help countries build resilient societies with strong social cohesion that allow children to enjoy their rights and realize their potential.   http://www.unicef.org/child-alert/central-sahel-extreme-jeopardy http://reliefweb.int/report/burkina-faso/unicef-child-alert-extreme-jeopardy-ten-million-children-central-sahel-need-humanitarian-assistance-amid-spiraling-conflict-and-punishing-climate-march-2023-enar http://www.wfp.org/news/food-insecurity-and-malnutrition-west-and-central-africa-10-year-high-crisis-spreads-coastal http://www.wfp.org/news/wfp-calls-urgent-support-ramp-operations-mali-thousands-face-food-catastrophe http://www.rescue.org/report/watchlist-insight-climate-and-humanitarian-crisis-central-sahel http://www.rescue.org/article/10-countries-risk-climate-disaster   Feb. 2023   UN launched urgent funding appeal to help six million people severely affected by conflict, disease, and disaster in northeast Nigeria.   “The large-scale humanitarian and protection crisis shows no sign of abating,” says Matthias Schmale, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria.   “An estimated 2.4 million people are in acute need – impacted by conflict, disaster and disease – and require urgent support.”   The “ticking time bomb” of child malnutrition is escalating in Nigeria's northeast, with the number of children suffering from acute malnutrition projected to increase to two million in 2023, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).   “Women and girls are the hardest hit,” said Mr. Schmale. “Over 80 per cent of people in need of humanitarian assistance across Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states are women and children.   http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/devastating-reality-9-years-after-chibok-abductions-children-northeast-nigeria http://www.ipcinfo.org/ipcinfo-website/alerts-archive/issue-74/en/ http://reliefweb.int/report/nigeria/msf-seeing-unprecedented-number-malnourished-children-maiduguri http://reliefweb.int/report/nigeria/us13-billion-needed-reach-6-million-people-north-east-nigeria-humanitarian-assistance-2023   Jan. 2023   Millions of Nigerians at high risk of food insecurity in 2023. (UNICEF)   Nearly 25 million Nigerians are at risk of facing hunger between June and August 2023 (lean season) if urgent action is not taken, according to the October 2022 Cadre Harmonise, a Government led and UN-supported food and nutrition analysis carried out twice a year.   This is a projected increase from the estimated 17 million people currently at risk of food insecurity. Continued conflict, climate change, inflation and rising food prices are key drivers of this alarming trend.   Food access has been affected by persistent violence in the north-east states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe (BAY) and armed banditry and kidnapping in states such as Katsina, Sokoto, Kaduna, Benue and Niger..   http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/25-million-nigerians-high-risk-food-insecurity-2023 http://www.ipcinfo.org/ipcinfo-website/alerts-archive/issue-74/en/   Jan. 2023   Lake Chad Basin area is home to one of the world’s most protracted humanitarian crises - International Rescue Committee (IRC).   As world leaders convene in Niamey, Niger, at the Lake Chad Basin Conference, the IRC is calling on donors, leaders and participants to recognize the critical need for funding to match rising humanitarian needs, and for humanitarian actors to have unfettered access to populations in need.   The Lake Chad Basin area is home to one of the world’s most protracted humanitarian crises, deepened by ongoing conflict, economic turmoil and the unchecked impact of climate change. 11 million people continue to need life-saving assistance. Today, 2.9 million people are internally displaced in Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, and Niger.   Three out of four Lake Chad Basin countries have been on the IRC’s Watchlist of 20 countries at greatest risk of major deterioration in the humanitarian situation for several years. Against this dire backdrop, the humanitarian response plans have been just over halfway funded on average.   The conference is an opportunity to break the cycle of crisis by investing in the provision of basic services, and funding NGOs and civil society working at the frontlines directly with affected communities. The IRC also calls on donors to use this opportunity to reinforce the right of civilians across the Lake Chad Basin to access life-saving humanitarian aid. Restrictions and denial of access to humanitarian aid are hampering the ability of people in need to access basic services, particularly protection, healthcare, water hygiene and sanitation, economic support, and education.   The conflict in the Lake Chad region is fueled by the effects of climate change; droughts, flooding and a shrinking Lake Chad are furthering displacement in the area. Critical investments in longer-term resilience programs and climate adaptation are needed to break down the climate-humanitarian divide, and donors should provide public pledges for funding to strengthen climate resilience and coordinated action.   David Miliband, IRC’s President and CEO said: “The forgotten crisis in the Lake Chad Basin is one of the most serious in the world. The combined consequences of increasing instability, the growing impact of climate change to which the region is uniquely vulnerable and economic shocks have pushed humanitarian need to historic levels. Over 11 million people in the Basin region alone need humanitarian assistance; over 5 million people are severely food insecure– the highest figure in four years. Nearly 3 million people remain internally-displaced.   As global donors gather in Niamey for the Lake Chad region conference, the IRC calls not only for a significant boost in funding to meet great and growing need, but for humanitarian, climate, development, security and other stakeholders to work together to ensure unfettered aid for millions, the respect of international humanitarian law, and the delivery of aid that meets growing and increasingly multilayered humanitarian needs. It is more imperative than ever that the Lake Chad Basin is not forgotten or left behind.”   http://www.rescue.org/press-release/irc-calls-international-community-not-forget-lake-chad-basin-leaders-convene-pledging http://reliefweb.int/report/niger/warnings-over-child-malnutrition-rising-niger-year-climate-crisis-conflict-take-toll http://www.nrc.no/news/2023/january/niger-violence-derails-youths-future-in-the-worlds-youngest-country/ http://www.nrc.no/perspectives/2023/why-are-almost-half-of-nigers-children-not-in-school/ http://reliefweb.int/report/niger/niger-un-deputy-humanitarian-chief-reiterates-commitment-most-vulnerable-people-calls-long-term-engagement-build-resilience   Nov. 2022   UN warns of worsening conflict and displacement in Sahel without immediate climate action.   Without urgent investment in climate mitigation and adaptation, countries in the Sahel risk decades of armed conflict and displacement exacerbated by rising temperatures, resource scarcity and food insecurity, the UN Special Coordinator for Development in the Sahel and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency has warned.   According to a report published today, “Moving from Reaction to Action: Anticipating Vulnerability Hotspots in the Sahel”, left unchecked, the climate emergency will further imperil Sahelian communities as devastating floods, droughts, and heatwaves decimate access to water, food, and livelihoods, and amplify the risk of conflict. This will ultimately force more people to flee their homes.   “In the Sahel, the climate crisis is combining with increasing instability and the low level of investments in development to create a disempowering mix that is heavily taxing Sahelian communities, with the added risk of jeopardizing the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals,” said UN Special Coordinator for Development in the Sahel Abdoulaye Mar Dieye. “There are solutions, focused on people’s agency and investments at scale, but they require resolute commitment and dedication from all, as well as the right data and analysis to know what is coming in order to execute proactive and impactful policy responses.”   The report looks at the 10 countries covered by the UN Integrated Strategy for the Sahel and its Support Plan in West and Central Africa – Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, the Gambia, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, and Senegal.   Communities across the Sahel rely on farming and pastoralism, which are highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Food insecurity is already surging across the region, reaching emergency levels in some areas. In the long term, yields of maize, millet and sorghum are projected to decline due to climate shocks, wearing down the resilience of local populations.   “Rising temperatures and extreme weather in the Sahel are worsening armed conflict, which is already destroying livelihoods, disrupting food security, and driving displacement,” said UNHCR Special Advisor for Climate Action Andrew Harper. “Only a massive boost in collective climate mitigation and adaptation can alleviate the current and future humanitarian consequences.”   Even with ambitious climate mitigation policies, temperatures in the Sahel are predicted to rise 2.5°C by 2080. If urgent action is further delayed, they could increase by 4.3°C.   Despite the negative trends, the Sahel is endowed with abundant natural resources. The region sits on one of the largest aquifers in Africa and has immense potential for renewables, including abundant solar energy capacity, and a dynamic young population – around 64 per cent of Sahelians are under 25 years old.   If bold action in climate mitigation and adaptation is imminently taken to support Sahelian countries and communities, and collaboration across the humanitarian, development and peacebuilding pillars is prioritized, there is vast potential to change the region’s trajectory.   http://reliefweb.int/report/niger/more-7-million-children-will-suffer-severe-hunger-central-sahel-mid-2023 http://www.unhcr.org/news/press/2022/11/63748b3b4/un-warns-worsening-conflict-displacement-sahel-immediate-climate-action.html http://www.acaps.org/country/burkina-faso/crisis/conflict http://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/reports/advancing-rights-based-approach-climate-change-resilience-and-migration-sahel http://www.icrc.org/en/document/climate-change-mali-we-drilled-deep-found-nothing   Sep. 2022   Burkina Faso: Almost 2 million people displaced amid worst food crisis in a decade.   Nearly one in 10 people in Burkina Faso has been displaced by conflict. Most worryingly, the rate of severe food insecurity has nearly doubled compared to last year, with over 600,000 people in emergency hunger levels during this lean season, warn 28 international aid organisations operating in the country. An urgent increase in funding for humanitarian assistance is required to respond to the current situation.   “Too often, displacement and hunger come as a one-two punch,” said Hassane Hamadou, Country Director of the Norwegian Refugee Council. “People forced to move have left behind their fields and livestock. Many displaced families report being down to one meal a day in order to allow children to eat twice. Recent waves of displacement only heighten the urgency to act.”   The multiplication of violent attacks has driven more people to flee between January and July 2022 than during the entire year of 2021. Meanwhile, large displacement shocks are becoming more frequent. Four years after its start, the displacement crisis in Burkina Faso remains one of the three fastest growing in the world.   “We now see more and more people forced to flee not from their hometowns, but increasingly from places where they had previously sought refuge,” said Philippe Allard, Director of Humanity and Inclusion in Burkina Faso. “Each new displacement increases their vulnerability, and chips away at their resources and mental health.”   “For children, who make up for the majority of the displaced, leaving their home behind is traumatic enough but having to flee again and again while trying to survive robs families of any chance to rebuild their lives,” said Benoit Delsarte, Country Director of Save the Children.   http://reliefweb.int/report/burkina-faso/burkina-faso-almost-2-million-people-displaced-amid-worst-food-crisis-decade http://reliefweb.int/report/burkina-faso/central-and-west-africa-home-almost-quarter-out-school-children-worldwide   June 2022   Over 30 million Sahelians, most of whom are women and children, require life-saving assistance and protection. (OCHA, Reliefweb)   Over 30 million Sahelians, most of whom are women and children, require lifesaving assistance and protection in 2022, an increase of almost two million from 2021. The United Nations humanitarian agencies and non-governmental organizations continue to raise the alarm over the rapidly and severely exacerbating crisis in the Sahel.   “In times of conflict, violence impairs education systems and displaces people. As a result, large numbers of children are left without an education and face dire protection issues. Attacks on schools are on the rise, affecting students, teachers, and communities. About 7,900 schools are closed in the Sahel due to violence, a 56 per cent increase since 2021”, warns Marie-Pierre Poirier, UNICEF Regional Director for West and Central Africa.   “When refugee and internally displaced children are out of school, they become increasingly vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. Reported cases of child recruitment, killing and maiming of children, and sexual violence by armed groups and armed forces have been rising; child marriages and early pregnancies among school-age girls are at risk of being further exacerbated by the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic situation and climate change”.   Growing needs in the Sahel are being exacerbated by the ever-shrinking humanitarian space, which is dragging the entire response into a negative spiral. “Although needs are continuously exacerbating, reaching people in conflict-affected areas is an ongoing challenge due to rising criminality, kidnappings, and increasing violence”, says Maureen Magee, Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) Regional Director for Central and West Africa.   “Insecurity and violence are depriving affected communities of vital services, including access to health, education and water, sanitation, and hygiene services, resulting in a vicious cycle of vulnerability. Aid workers are ever more at risk and have been abducted and killed”.   “While needs are at record highs across the Sahel, resources are at rock bottom, and the cost of responding is skyrocketing forcing us to provide half rations in many countries across the Sahel” said Elvira Pruscini, World Food Program’s Deputy Regional Director for West Africa.   “Life-saving assistance is essential and should be complemented with multiyear resilience interventions to reduce humanitarian needs over time and pave the way toward sustainable solutions to hunger and malnutrition. We can and should also be supporting national food and social protection systems to immediately mitigate this crisis while supporting governments”.   “Between June and August 2022, over 18.6 million people (15 per cent of the region’s1 total population) are expected to experience severe food insecurity, including 2.1 million people experiencing emergency levels of food insecurity,” noted the regional representative for West and Central Africa at the international organization Action Contre la Faim, Mamadou Diop.   For Poirier of UNICEF, “Prevention and long-term solutions to child malnutrition requires improving equitable access to nutritious foods and quality health services, and facilitating access to clean water, hygiene and sanitation, as a well as promoting appropriate infant and young childcare practice   “For far too many women and girls who are experiencing displacement, gender-based violence is a daily occurrence. Forced marriage and child marriage, physical and sexual violence, and sexual exploitation all contribute to thousands of people feeling trapped and powerless”, noted the Regional Vice President for West Africa for the International Rescue Committee, Modou Diaw.   “They are primarily impacted by harmful social norms and multiple discriminations based on age and gender, which are exacerbated by the socio-economic crisis and conflict”.   As the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and partners launch the 2022 Humanitarian Needs and Requirements Overview for the Sahel, they call for immediate action to address the critical situation.   However, funding shortfalls remain among the significant challenges to delivering effective aid. “It is urgent to secure humanitarian aid for the most vulnerable as millions of people struggle every day. Without sufficient resources, the crisis will further escalate, eroding communities’ resilience and putting children, women, and men at risk”, warns the Head of West and Central Africa Office at OCHA, Charles Bernimolin.   http://reliefweb.int/report/burkina-faso/un-and-ngo-partners-raise-alarm-over-30-million-sahelians-most-whom-are-women-and-children-require-life-saving-assistance-and-protection-increase-almost-two-million-2021-enar http://reliefweb.int/report/burkina-faso/sahel-crisis-humanitarian-needs-and-requirements-overview-2022   May 2022   Burkina Faso: Over a quarter million people victims of new “water war” in peak dry season. (NRC, Solidarites International, Humanity & Inclusion, agencies)   Thirty-two water facilities have been destroyed so far this year, impacting nearly 300,000 people according to a group of 13 national and international organisations providing humanitarian and development assistance in the country. Targeted attacks have ranged from direct hits on water points and water trucks, purposeful contamination of water resources to sabotaging public water network’s generators.   “These repetitive attacks on water services and their severe impact on hundreds of thousands of vulnerable civilians are unprecedented in Burkina Faso and have not been seen elsewhere in the Central Sahel region either,” says Hassane Hamadou, Country Director for the Norwegian Refugee Council in Burkina Faso. “Disrupting civilians' access to water is no longer a mere by-product of the conflict, it has become a weapon of war and marks a new, despicable turn in violence. For the sake, dignity and survival of an already exhausted population, this war on water must stop.”   Most destructions occurred in Djibo in the Sahel region, a city that hosts more displaced people than any other in the country. Civilians there have access to less than three liters of water a day to cover all their needs from drinking to hygiene and cooking, compared to roughly twice that amount before the attacks - an already critical level.   While Europeans use on average 150 liters of water daily, the World Health Organization considers people in emergency situations need at least 15-20 liters. Seven liters is the “minimum survival allocation,” viable only for a few days. Residents in Djibo are now forced to sustain themselves with less than half that amount.   “I went through hell to get my family here safely,” says Fatoumata. “But once in Djibo, I found that the ordeal was not over. It continues for us here.”   “We struggle to find enough to eat and drink since we've arrived,” says Dicko. “Often, we spend the entire day at the water point only to leave with one jerrycan, and sometimes with nothing. We pay for and drink water that’s very dirty and impure. We can’t even dream of having enough to wash clothes, or ourselves.”   Distance to fetch water and time spent queuing are not just excessively long, they can also expose civilians to more violence. Beyond attacks on water facilities, civilians on their way to or waiting at water points are being intimidated and threatened by armed individuals.   “Djibo has been a flashpoint of the humanitarian crisis for over three years and now finds itself on the frontline of a new type of war,” says Rebecca Bouchet-Petersen, Country Director for Solidarités International in Burkina Faso. “The conflict is now putting at risk the very thing no one can live without: clean water. Civilians in Djibo were already facing alarming shortages of food and medicine, now they are going thirsty too. Considering all the health risks associated with drinking unsanitary water, temperatures averaging 40C and challenging road access, Djibo sits on the brink of humanitarian disaster.”   Attacks on water have recently spread to other regions as well. On 15 April, gunmen set fire to a water truck in the Center-North region. Assailants made it clear they did not want to see water trucks on that road again. All water trucking activities, currently the only way to provide emergency water assistance to the residents, have been halted as a result of the violence.   http://reliefweb.int/report/niger/urgent-action-needed-avert-full-blown-food-crisis-sahel http://reliefweb.int/report/burkina-faso/burkina-faso-over-quarter-million-people-victims-new-water-war-peak-dry-season http://reliefweb.int/report/burkina-faso/burkina-faso-hunger-crisis-emergency-plan-action-epoa-dref-operation-no-mdrbf017 http://www.hrw.org/news/2022/05/16/burkina-faso-armed-islamists-kill-rape-civilians http://www.savethechildren.net/news/more-1-3-children-under-five-risk-starvation-central-sahel http://unocha.exposure.co/we-must-support-niger http://www.dw.com/en/chad-declares-food-emergency-as-grain-supplies-fall/a-62044682   Apr. 2022   West Africa faces its worst food crisis in ten years, with over 27 million people already suffering from hunger, report 11 humanitarian agencies. (Reliefweb)   West Africa is hit by its worst food crisis in a decade, with 27 million people going hungry. This number could rise to 38 million this June - a new historic level and already an increase by more than a third over last year- unless urgent action is taken. This alert is issued by eleven international organizations in response to new analyses of the March 2022 Cadre Harmonisé (CH), ahead of a conference on the food and nutrition crisis in the Sahel and Lake Chad organized by the European Union and the Sahel and West Africa Club.   Over the past decade, far from abating, food crises have been increasing across the West African region, including in Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad, Mali, and Nigeria. Between 2015 and 2022, the number of people in need of emergency food assistance nearly quadrupled, from 7 to 27 million.   “Cereal production in some parts of the Sahel has dropped by about a third compared to last year. Family food supplies are running out. Drought, floods, conflict, and the economic impacts of COVID-19 have forced millions of people off their land, pushing them to the brink" says Assalama Dawalack Sidi, Oxfam's regional director for West and Central Africa.   "The situation is forcing hundreds of thousands of people to move to different communities and to live with host families who are already living in difficult conditions themselves. There is not enough food, let alone food that is nutritious enough for children. We must help them urgently because their health, their future and even their lives are at risk," said Philippe Adapoe, Save the Children's director for West and Central Africa.   Malnutrition is steadily increasing in the Sahel. The United Nations estimated that 6.3 million children aged 6-59 months will be acutely malnourished this year - including more than 1.4 million children in the severe acute malnutrition phase - compared to 4.9 million acutely malnourished children in 2021.   "I had almost no milk left so I gave my baby other food. He often refused to take it and lost weight. In addition he had diarrhea, which worsened his condition," said Safiatou, a mother who had to flee her village because of the violence in Burkina Faso.   In addition to conflict and insecurity, pockets of drought and poor rainfall distribution have reduced communities' food sources, especially in the Central Sahel. To make up for the gap, many families are selling their assets, jeopardizing their productive capacity and the future of their children. Young girls may be forced into early marriage and other forms of gender-based violence may increase as food becomes scarcer.   "The rains were scarce. There is no more food. With the lack of grazing, the sheep are getting thinner and this forces us to sell them at a loss. I used to have twelve sheep, but now I only have one left”, explains Ramata Sanfo, a herder from Burkina Faso. "I would like to have my cattle back so that I have enough money and my children can go back to school."   Food prices have increased by 20-30 percent over the past five years in West Africa. While food reserves are dwindling in the Sahel, the recent crisis in Ukraine is making the situation dangerously worse. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, food prices could rise by another 20 percent worldwide, an unbearable increase for already fragile populations. In addition, the crisis is likely to cause a significant decrease in wheat availability for six West African countries that import at least 30 percent, and in some cases more than 50 percent, of their wheat from Russia and Ukraine.   Another likely effect of the crisis in Europe is a sharp drop in international aid to Africa. With a number of donors already indicating that they may make cuts in their funding to Africa. For example, Denmark has announced that it will postpone part of its bilateral development assistance to Burkina Faso (50 percent in 2022) and to Mali (40 percent in 2022).   "There should be no competition between humanitarian crises," says Mamadou Diop, regional representative of Action Against Hunger. "The Sahel crisis is one of the worst humanitarian crises on a global scale and, at the same time, one of the least funded."   * The eleven international organizations participating in this press release are Oxfam, Action Against Hunger, Save the Children, CARE International, International Rescue Committee (IRC), Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), The Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA), Tearfund, World Vision (WV), Handicap International - Humanité & Inclusion and Mercy Corps.   According to the March 2022 analysis of the Cadre harmonisé (CH), 38.3 million people will be in food and nutrition crisis in June-August if nothing is done, compared to 27.3 million in the same period in 2021, an increase of 40.2% in one year. By country, the projections of people in phase 3 to 5 for June-August 2022 in the most affected countries are: Nigeria (19.5 million), Burkina Faso (3.5 million), Niger (4.4 million), Chad (2 million), Mali (1.8 million).   In 2020, Unicef estimated that 29 million children under the age of 5 (between 6 and 23 months) were stunted (+26%) in the region, up from 22 million in 2000. Other data on malnutrition are from the UNICEF/World Food Programme Hotspot 2022 analysis.   According to UNHCR, more than 4.6 million people are currently displaced or refugees in the Central Sahel (Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger), Chad, and Mauritania, 2 million more than in 2020.   http://reliefweb.int/report/burkina-faso/west-africa-faces-its-worst-food-crisis-ten-years-over-27-million-people-already http://www.wfp.org/news/food-and-oil-price-hikes-drive-costs-cash-strapped-wfp-operations-west-africa-region-faces http://www.nutritioncluster.net/news/urgent-action-needed-holistically-address-child-malnutrition-west-and-central-africa http://www.actionagainsthunger.org/story/35-million-people-threatened-hunger-crisis-sahel http://www.wfp.org/stories/sahel-millions-risk-hunger-and-displacement-rise-warns-wfp http://www.icrc.org/en/document/across-africa-disaster-goes-largely-unnoticed-food-security-crisis http://www.rescue.org/article/3-ways-ukraine-conflict-will-drive-hunger-other-crisis-zones   http://reliefweb.int/report/burkina-faso/west-and-central-africa-situation-report-31-dec-2021 http://unocha.exposure.co/ten-things-to-know-about-the-situation-in-the-sahel http://www.channel4.com/news/niger-how-the-climate-crisis-is-fuelling-war http://unocha.exposure.co/celebrating-the-hope-and-culture-of-a-region-in-acute-crisis   http://unocha.exposure.co/cameroon-six-things-to-know-about-the-humanitarian-crisis http://www.nrc.no/news/2021/november/violence-impacts-700000-children-in-cameroon/ http://www.educationcannotwait.org/fer-cameroon/ http://unocha.exposure.co/for-nine-years-now-we-have-not-stopped-hosting-people-fleeing-conflict   http://www.nrc.no/news/2021/december/mali-food-crisis/ http://reliefweb.int/report/burkina-faso/conflict-economic-fragility-and-rising-food-prices-drive-hunger-west-and-central http://www.icrc.org/en/document/icrc-alarmed-lack-humanitarian-access-26-million-people-africa
	Haiti reaches a breaking point as violence soars by MSF, OCHA, WFP, agencies   July 2025 (UN News)   More than 1.3 million people have been displaced in Haiti as surging gang violence, lawlessness, and impunity expose the population – especially women and girls – to heightened risks of exploitation and sexual violence.   Since January, the UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), recorded over 4,000 individuals deliberately killed – a 24 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2024.   “The capital city was for all intents and purposes paralysed by gangs and isolated due to the ongoing suspension of international commercial flights into the international airport,” Miroslav Jenca, Assistant Secretary-General for the Americas at the department of political affairs (DPPA), told ambassadors in the UN Security Council.   Having visited the country recently, he warned that, gangs have only “strengthened their foothold”, which now affects all communes of the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area and beyond, “pushing the situation closer to the brink.”   He called on the international community to act decisively and urgently or the “total collapse of state presence in the capital could become a very real scenario”.   Ghada Fathi Waly, Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), echoed that warning.   “As gang control expands, the state’s capacity to govern is rapidly shrinking, with social, economic and security implications,” she told ambassadors. “This erosion of state legitimacy has cascading effects,” she said, with legal commerce becoming paralysed as gangs control major trade routes, such conditions worsening “already dire levels of food insecurity and humanitarian need,” she added.   The ongoing deterioration of security in the country continues to fuel human rights violations. Despite persistent under-reporting of sexual violence due to fear of reprisals, social stigma and lack of trust in institutions, UN agencies reported an increase in sexual violence committed by gangs in the past three months.   In May, Haitian police raided a medical facility in Petion-Ville suspected of being involved in illicit organ trade, as allegations of trafficking in persons for the purpose of organ removal are rising.   1.3 million people have been forced to flee gang violence in Haiti and seek refuge elsewhere within the Caribbean country, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said. This represents a 24 per cent increase from December 2024 according to the UN agency – the largest number of people displaced by violence on record there.   “Behind these numbers are so many individual people whose suffering is immeasurable; children, mothers, the elderly, many of them forced to flee their homes multiple times, often with nothing, and now living in conditions that are neither safe nor sustainable,” said Amy Pope, IOM Director General.   Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Haiti, María Isabel Salvador, stressed that the situation is a “multifaceted crisis" which must be addressed with multifaceted and dynamic solutions.   “We believe that the international community’s response must match the scale, urgency, and complexity of the challenge. That’s why strong international security support must be accompanied by peacebuilding measures, humanitarian action and political support that could ultimately allow Haiti to make progress on the path to sustainable development.”   She said one way to reduce violence in Haiti is by empowering communities themselves, especially women to lead bold new initiatives.   http://news.un.org/en/story/2025/07/1165246 http://news.un.org/en/story/2025/06/1164286 http://reliefweb.int/report/haiti/states-should-not-return-anyone-haiti-un-expert-bill-oneill http://news.un.org/en/story/2025/07/1165373 http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/07/spreading-gang-violence-poses-major-risk-haiti-and-caribbean-sub-region http://binuh.unmissions.org/en/un-special-representative-patten-urges-immediate-action-sexual-violence-surges-amid-gang-violence http://news.un.org/en/tags/haiti http://reliefweb.int/country/hti   Mar. 2025   In Haiti, escalating violence increases displacement and basic needs. (MSF)   Since 24 February, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) teams in Haiti have witnessed a surge in violence, increasing the number of wounded people and medical needs. Clashes between armed groups and police are intensifying, leaving people trapped under constant threat of crossfire. Today, 85 per cent of the capital, Port-au-Prince, is under the control of armed groups, and movement through many neighbourhoods puts lives at risk.   From 24 February to 2 March, MSF medical teams at the Turgeau emergency centre treated 314 patients – double the usual number.   Since 14 February, attacks by armed groups in several neighbourhoods of the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area have forced over 24,000 people to flee,2 and this number continues to rise amid the ongoing violence. As of today, the International Organisation for Migration estimates that more than 180,000 internally displaced people are living in over 140 sites.   These vulnerable people, some of whom have been displaced multiple times, are seeking refuge in makeshift camps where access to clean water is either extremely limited or completely non-existent.   For over a month, the suspension of US funding has deprived many humanitarian organisations of their resources, forcing groups like Solidarites International to suspend the distribution of drinking water in displacement camps. According to the NGO, in these camps, displaced people are trying to survive on just one litre of water per day. This is far below the international emergency standard, which recommends 15 litres per person per day.   “We have identified more than 100 displacement camps in the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince, but the scale of this crisis far exceeds what MSF can respond to alone, especially with the rainy season approaching,” warns Christophe Garnier, MSF’s head of mission in Haiti.   With the imminent arrival of the first rains, sanitation systems are flooding, hygiene conditions are deteriorating, and the risk of deadly disease outbreaks, including cholera, is rising. UNICEF estimates that more than 180,000 displaced people are sheltering in over 100 sites, while 140 additional sites remain unassessed.   “The humanitarian response plan in Haiti is severely underfunded, even as the conflict escalates and thousands of people are repeatedly forced to flee, seeking refuge in makeshift camps with limited access to basic services such as water and sanitation,” says Garnier.   “Without urgent action, the situation will turn into a humanitarian catastrophe, as relentless violence continues to deepen the suffering of an already exhausted community.”   http://www.msf.org/haiti-escalating-violence-increases-displacement http://www.unicef.org/lac/en/press-releases/hope-haiti-children-amid-chaos-statement-deputy-executive-director-chaiban http://www.ohchr.org/en/stories/2025/04/restoring-dignity-global-call-end-violence-haiti http://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/country-reports/ahrc5876-situation-human-rights-haiti-report-united-nations-high http://www.icrc.org/en/article/haiti-renewed-clashes-fuel-humanitarian-crisis-has-no-end-sight   Feb. 2025   Almost 9 in 10 going all day without eating as hunger in Haiti reaches record high – ActionAid   Haiti’s hunger crisis has reached alarming levels, with almost all families (99%) surveyed by ActionAid regularly skipping meals and 95% reporting that they’ve gone to bed hungry in the past month. The aid organisation warned that US funding freezes are likely to make the situation even worse.   ActionAid surveyed almost 200 families (1,499 people) in two Haiti townships, Jérémie and Roseaux, and found that 67% were displaced, having fled their homes to escape Haiti’s escalating gang violence.   Of those surveyed, 88% said a family member had gone an entire day without eating in the past month, and almost one in 10 had gone 24 hours without eating at least 10 times.   Feduine, 28, lives in Jeremie. She told ActionAid she is struggling to feed her three children.   “It has become so difficult to eat ... we don’t know how to cope. It is really worrying when we can only eat every other day,” she said. “I have children, and some days I have nothing to give them. It is very hard to live with. I don’t worry about myself, but I worry about my children. When I left this morning, I had nothing to give the baby.”   Armed gangs continue to disrupt food supplies by closing roads and demanding bribes from truck drivers, pushing up prices and leaving many families unable to afford basic goods.   More than 85% of those surveyed by ActionAid have fallen into debt, and 17% reported having no income at all.   Emelyne, 49, had to leave her home with her family due to gang violence. Inflation has pushed up food prices so high that she’s now unable to afford to feed her family of eight.   “It has become more difficult to buy food,” she said. “Before, I could feed my whole family with 500 gourdes (US$ 3.80). Now, 500 gourdes is only enough for one item. How can we possibly feed everyone with 500 gourdes a day?”   On average, families reported spending just $90 (11,742 HG) per month on food. With an average of eight people per household surveyed, this equates to just $11 per person for an entire month. Some households survive on just over $1 per person per month.   As a result, 97% of families said they’ve had to reduce food portions, and 53% have been forced to ask friends or family for food.   Haiti is grappling with one of the world’s most severe hunger crises, with 5.5 million people - nearly half the population - struggling to feed themselves. Between March and June, two million people are expected to face ‘emergency’ levels of hunger, which means they face severe food shortages, health complications and high levels of disease.   The crisis is particularly devastating for women and girls. Poverty and debt increase their vulnerability to exploitation and abuse.. Malnutrition also endangers pregnant and breastfeeding women, increasing premature birth and maternal mortality.   Despite this dire situation, the humanitarian response in Haiti is critically underfunded. Less than 43% of the US$673 million required by the UN for Haiti in 2024 was raised, and the funding gap for 2025 is even greater.   Angeline Annesteus, ActionAid’s Country Director in Haiti, said:   “What we’re witnessing in Haiti isn’t a food shortage – it’s a full-blown hunger crisis driven by violence, inflation and systemic neglect. The markets still have food, but millions simply cannot afford it. To think that more than 9 in 10 people – many of them children – are going to bed hungry is heartbreaking.   “The levels of hunger, suffering and death in Haiti are beyond disturbing, world powers are looking away.. People will starve to death in the coming months unless urgent funding is released. There is no chance for peace and stability in Haiti while millions are facing starvation.”   http://reliefweb.int/report/haiti/almost-9-10-going-all-day-without-eating-hunger-haiti-reaches-record-high-actionaid http://www.ipcinfo.org/ipcinfo-website/countries-in-focus-archive/issue-110/en/   Jan. 2025   Almost one in eight children internally displaced in Haiti as armed violence continues, UNICEF reports.   The number of internally displaced children in Haiti has increased by nearly 50 per cent since September – now equaling approximately one in eight children in the entire country – as a result of ongoing violence caused by armed groups.   According to latest estimates, there are now over one million internally displaced people in Haiti, over half of them children in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.   “It is a horrific time to be a child in Haiti, with violence upending lives and forcing more children and families from their homes,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “Children desperately need safety, protection and access to essential services. We cannot look away.”   Years of political turmoil and devastating poverty and inequality have fueled the growth of armed groups in Haiti. In the absence of other means of survival or protection, children are increasingly forced to join armed groups – with a notable 70 per cent increase in child recruitment over the past year. Up to 50 per cent of armed group members are estimated to be comprised of children. Recruitment and use of children is a grave violation of children’s rights and international law.   Displaced children and adolescents in Haiti face heightened risks of violence, including sexual violence, exploitation, and abuse, which has also surged 1,000 per cent in the past year. Their access to essential services, such as education, clean water, sanitation, and healthcare is severely disrupted – exacerbating malnutrition, and increasing exposure to disease and violence.   Unsanitary conditions in displacement sites further increase their vulnerability to diseases such as cholera which, with almost 88,000 suspected cases, continues to affect children on the island nation.   UNICEF estimates that approximately 3 million children are in need of humanitarian assistance in the country, with over 1.2 million children under threat in the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince alone, where the situation continues to deteriorate. By December, attempted sieges of residential areas led to widespread displacement, forcing an estimated 40,000 people to relocate within just two weeks.   UNICEF reiterates its urgent call for all parties to end violence and halt grave violations of children's rights, including the recruitment and use of children by armed groups, and all forms of sexual violence. It also calls for the unimpeded access of humanitarian workers to safely reach vulnerable communities, including displaced populations in need.   “Children in Haiti are bearing the brunt of a crisis they did not create. They rely on the Haitian Government and international community to take urgent action to protect their lives and safeguard their futures,” said Russell.   http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/almost-one-eight-children-internally-displaced-haiti-armed-violence-continues-unicef http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/latest/crisis-haiti-what-know http://reliefweb.int/report/haiti/haiti-nation-held-hostage-gangs http://www.ohchr.org/en/stories/2025/02/haiti-immediate-action-needed-address-human-rights-crisis   4 Oct. 2024   Haiti: Horrifying gang attacks leave at least 70 dead. (OHCHR, agencies)   We are horrified by Thursday’s gang attacks in the town of Pont Sonde in Haiti’s Artibonite department. Members of the “Gran Grif” gang used automatic rifles to shoot at the population, killing at least 70 people, among them women and infants. OCHA reports that over 300 people were injured in the attack.   As the attacks unfolded, gang members reportedly set fire to at least 45 houses and 34 vehicles, forcing a number of residents to flee. The attacks have displaced an estimated 6,270 people, or 1,281 households.   We call for increased international financial and logistical assistance to the Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission in Haiti. It is crucial that the authorities carry out a prompt and thorough investigation into this attack, hold those responsible to account, and guarantee reparations for the victims and their families.   UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is calling for increased and urgent attention, support, and solutions for Haitians affected by violence and insecurity, including those who have been forcibly displaced.   UNHCR’s Assistant High Commissioner for Operations, Raouf Mazou, recently concluded a visit to Haiti, where he witnessed the devastating impact of the country’s dire security situation. Armed groups have severely restricted access to essential humanitarian aid, deepening the crisis for vulnerable communities with devastating effects for future generations.   Over 700,000 people have been forced to flee their homes, escaping violence by armed groups and the resulting widespread insecurity. Many face severe shortages of food, water, shelter and medical care in addition to severe protection risks, which Mazou heard about from those he met at sites for internally displaced people in the capital Port-au-Prince and in Ouanaminthe, at the border.   "Now more than ever, Haitians need our collective support, and we cannot turn a blind eye," said Mazou. "Increased funding, enhanced security and international solidarity are essential to providing life-saving humanitarian assistance and restoring stability and hope in Haiti."   According to the latest IPC analysis released earlier this week, 5.4 million Haitians (approximately half the population) are suffering from acute food insecurity, with 2 million—about 18% of the population—experiencing severe hunger.   Overall, the Humanitarian Response Plan remains only 39 per cent funded, having received $264 million of the $674 million required to provide life-saving assistance to the people of Haiti this year. The UN continues its call to Member States to step up its support to Haiti.   http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/01/haiti-over-5600-killed-gang-violence-2024-un-figures-show http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/11/haiti-un-human-rights-chief-urges-end-intensifying-violence-port-au-prince http://www.iom.int/news/haiti-displacement-triples-surpassing-one-million-humanitarian-crisis-worsens http://www.ipcinfo.org/ipcinfo-website/countries-in-focus-archive/issue-110/en/ http://www.wfp.org/news/hunger-haiti-reaches-historic-high-one-two-haitians-now-acute-hunger http://www.savethechildren.net/news/aid-agencies-call-action-extreme-hunger-spikes-haiti http://reliefweb.int/report/haiti/one-six-children-haiti-one-step-away-famine-conditions-save-children   http://www.ohchr.org/en/statements/2024/10/haiti-horrifying-gang-attacks-leave-least-70-dead http://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/country-reports/ahrc5741-situation-human-rights-haiti-interim-report-united-nations-high http://www.unhcr.org/news/press-releases/unhcr-calls-continued-international-solidarity-address-displacement-and http://www.hrw.org/news/2024/09/23/world-leaders-should-stand-haiti http://binuh.unmissions.org/en/haiti-un-human-rights-expert-william-o%E2%80%99neill-concludes-official-visit-laments-bleak-situation http://reliefweb.int/report/haiti/acaps-thematic-report-haiti-impact-conflict-children-and-youth-30-september-2024 http://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/press-release/2024/07/300000-haitian-women-and-girls-are-displaced-without-basic-safety-and-health-services http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/one-child-displaced-every-minute-haiti-armed-violence-persists-unicef http://www.unicef.org/topics/haiti http://reliefweb.int/country/hti   Mar. 2024   Chaos across Haiti amid high risk of famine. (UN News)   The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that Haiti is on the brink of a devastating hunger crisis, with aid operations at risk of “grinding to a halt” amid rampant violence as Prime Minister Ariel Henry resigned on Monday and armed gangs tightened their grip on the capital, Port-au-Prince.   The lack of goods and resources is worsening an already precarious economic situation, with water and basic services being “stretched to the limit”, UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said.   The UN Secretary-General called on all Haitian stakeholders to act responsibly and expressed appreciation to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and partners’ for facilitating a way forward to resolve Haiti’s political crisis through a just-signed agreement to, among other things, appoint an interim prime minister, Mr. Dujarric said.   In Haiti, armed groups have taken control of many of the main roads, flights to Port-au-Prince have been grounded and incomes are plummeting amid a sharp rise in displacement, according to UN agencies.   Gang violence has displaced more than 362,000 Haitians, over half of them children. At least 35,000 have fled from their homes since the beginning of 2024, trying to escape the escalating crisis.   WFP said that while recent agreements between Haiti and Kenya enabling the deployment of the support mission are promising, failing to address the country’s hunger crisis could itself jeopardise efforts to restore stability.   The WFP’s Executive Director, said the spreading violence is keeping aid workers from reaching communities in need at a time when donor funds are drying up. “Haiti needs more than just boots on the ground,” she said. “Efforts to restore law and order must be matched by an equally effective humanitarian response to meet soaring needs.”   “Our humanitarian operation in Haiti is running on fumes. We need donors to step up today so we can tackle the rising tide of hunger and halt the slide into chaos.”   The security and political crises are unfolding alongside a largely unaddressed food crisis. In Haiti, Jean-Martin Bauer, WFP country director, warned of an impending famine, stressing that there are levels of hunger in Port-au-Prince that are typically seen in war zones.   “Haiti is one of the world’s most severe food crises,” said Mr. Bauer. Food security has been fragile in Haiti since the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in 2020, but today, 1.4 million people are “a step away from famine”, he said. There are more than 200,000 children vulnerable to acute malnutrition.   “We need to ensure security comes back to the country. We need the port to reopen and stocks to be replenished.” If the situation in the capital continues, food prices will sharply increase over already inflated prices that saw costs jump by 25 per cent in southern Haiti in January.   Over the past few days, prices have risen by at least 10 per cent, Mr. Bauer warned. “That’s a recipe for a food crisis,” he said.   Mass hunger is related to unrest, strife and mass migration and without a strong food support for the population, the forthcoming multilateral support mission will not be able achieve its objectives, he explained.   While security is needed, a robust humanitarian response plan is imperative, he said.   According to the UN Human Rights Office, more than 1,100 people have been killed or injured since January this year, the deadliest month in the last two years.   Outbreaks of deadly violence have caused major disruptions to humanitarian operations – affecting the ability of humanitarian agencies to reach civilians in need, especially those at displacement sites. Road blockages and movement restrictions are also impacting health care workers and compromising people’s ability to access basic social services.   More than 1,000 schools across the country, including in Port-au-Prince and other urban areas, have also been closed since mid-January due to ongoing insecurity.   Mar. 2024   The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is deeply concerned by the uprising of violence in Haiti since the end of February.   IOM's latest displacement tracking reveals that 15,000 people have been displaced within just one week, all of them having already experienced displacement.   Ten displacement sites have been entirely emptied due to the successive waves of violence, leaving displaced families traumatized. Urgent needs include access to food, healthcare, water, and hygiene facilities, and psychological support. More than 160,000 people are currently displaced in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area alone.   “Haitians are unable to lead a decent life. They are living in fear, and every day, every hour this situation carries on, the trauma gets worse.” says Philippe Branchat, IOM's Chief in Haiti, underscoring the gravity of the situation.   “Insecurity is growing at the national level: violence in Artibonite, roadblocks in Cap Haitien, and fuel shortages in the South. People living in the capital are locked in, they have nowhere to go. People fleeing cannot reach family members and friends in the rest of the country to find shelter. The capital is surrounded by armed groups and danger. It is a city under siege.”   The collapsing health system, attacks on hospitals by the armed groups, and the lack of health services further exacerbate the humanitarian crisis. Some hospitals have been run over by gangs and had to evacuate staff and patients, including newborns. Medical professionals across the capital are sounding the alarm as their capacity to deliver even the most basic medical services is severely diminished.   Successive displacements, where individuals abandon everything, coupled with experiences of violence, rape, and overcrowded living conditions, have exacerbated distress among the displaced populations.   Across Haiti, 362,000 people are currently internally displaced, some several times over. More than half of them, 180,000, are children. Lack of goods and resources is amplifying an already precarious economic situation.   http://reliefweb.int/report/haiti/haiti-emergency-situation-report-no-21-3-may-2024 http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/05/women-and-girls-bear-brunt-crisis-ravaging-haiti-say-un-experts http://www.unfpa.org/press/world-must-not-abandon-women-and-girls-haiti http://reliefweb.int/report/haiti/haiti-ipc-acute-food-insecurity-snapshot-march-june-2024 http://www.savethechildren.net/news/more-one-million-children-trapped-gang-violence-rages-haiti http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/statement-unicef-executive-director-catherine-russell-situation-haiti http://www.unicef.org/emergencies/crisis-haiti http://www.ipcinfo.org/ipcinfo-website/alerts-archive/issue-98/en/ http://www.msf.org/new-survey-reveals-extreme-levels-violence-haiti http://www.iom.int/news/waves-violence-storm-port-au-prince-haiti-further-displacing-thousands http://www.crisisgroup.org/latin-america-caribbean/haiti/haiti-freefall   Oct. 2023   Armed violence takes root in Haiti’s “rice basket”. (UNICEF)   The unchecked violence in Haiti’s capital is intensifying in Artibonite, the nation’s main rice-growing region, terrorizing children and families and destroying livelihoods amid unprecedented hunger, malnutrition and a resurgent cholera epidemic.   At least 60 people were killed or injured amid clashes for territory and resources between armed groups. Nearly half of the 298 kidnappings countrywide during that period took place in Bas Artibonite, or the lower part of Artibonite, mostly involving civilians traveling on public transport. In one incident, 15 women heading to market were reportedly kidnapped and raped.   Over 100 schools have shut down due to insecurity and only one in four health facilities across the department remain accessible due to security-related challenges. Roughly a third of the population, nearly half of them children, now require humanitarian assistance.   Brutal violence, mirroring that seen in Port-au-Prince, has forcibly displaced families and disrupted rice and agricultural production, a lifeline for the economy. Over 22,000 people were displaced as of June, up from less than 10,000 in April. Most have sought refuge among host communities, while hundreds shelter in precarious makeshift spaces with little access to basic services or protection from the armed groups.   “No human being, and certainly no child, should ever have to face such shocking brutality, deprivation and lawlessness,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “We need support from the international community in order to reach Haitian children and families who desperately need help right now,” said Russell, who is also the designated Principal Advocate for Haiti for the Inter-Agency Standing Committee.   * The latest IPC report states that 4.35 million Haitians are facing acute food insecurity between August 2023 to February 2024. According to the WFP and FAO latest Hunger Hotspots analysis, Haiti is one of 9 countries facing starvation risks, and is amongst 5 countries with more than 10 percent of the population in IPC 4 (Emergency).   Emergency levels of food insecurity persist in several regions, while funding is at a critically low level,” says Jean-Martin Bauer, WFP Country Director in Haiti. “Without an immediate injection of funds, we risk seeing an even greater number of people going hungry".   http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/11/haiti-un-report-says-gang-violence-spreading-urges-speedy-deployment http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/escalating-violence-threatens-thousands-children-port-au-prince-haiti http://binuh.unmissions.org/en/reports   May 2023   UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has warned of a “never-ending cycle of violence” in Haiti as gangs continue to inflict extreme cruelty on people, and vigilantes take the law into their own hands.   “Every report I get from Haiti underlines the scale of the suffering, and rams home the message that Haitians need urgent support, and they need it now,” said Turk.   “I reiterate my call on the international community to deploy a time-bound, specialized and human rights-compliant support force, with a comprehensive action plan to assist Haiti's institutions,” he added.   In the month of April alone, more than 600 people were killed in a new wave of extreme violence that hit several districts across the capital, according to information gathered by the Human Rights Service of the UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH). This follows the killing of at least 846 people in the first three months of 2023, in addition to 393 injured and 395 kidnapped during that period – a 28 per cent increase in violence on the previous quarter.   Overwhelmed by the ever-increasing insecurity, Haiti is seeing a worrying increase in mob killings and lynchings of alleged gang members, with at least 164 of these murders documented in April.   “It is the State’s obligation to protect its citizens. People should be able to rely on the police and the judicial authorities to tackle gang violence. But the reality is that the State does not have the capacity to respond,” he added.   The UN Human Rights Office and BINUH have launched their quarterly update (January to March), the report underscores that the violence is not only becoming more extreme and more frequent, but spreading relentlessly as gangs seek to extend their control. Areas of the capital previously considered safe are now affected.   Among other modus operandi used by gangs, the report identifies incidents of snipers indiscriminately shooting at people on the street or firing into homes, and of people being burned alive on public transport.   "We must not forget that extreme poverty and the lack of basic services lie at the root of the current violence and of the gangs’ power over communities. The Government, with support from the international community, must do its utmost to comply with its obligation to provide people with regular and unimpeded access to clean water, food, health and shelter,” Turk said. “The current human rights emergency calls for a robust response – urgently”.   http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/unicef-executive-director-catherine-russells-remarks-haiti-daily-press-briefing http://www.wfp.org/stories/unseen-and-unheard-haiti-weathers-hunger-gangs-and-climate-extremes http://news.un.org/en/story/2023/06/1138212 http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/05/haiti-un-human-rights-chief-warns-against-never-ending-cycle-violence http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/05/haiti-un-experts-say-government-must-act-end-gang-violence-against-women-and http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/nearly-3-million-children-need-support-haiti-highest-number-record   Apr. 2023   ‘Unprecedented insecurity’ in Haiti requires urgent action: UN envoy   The rapidly deteriorating security situation in Haiti demands that the country remains at the centre of international attention and action, UN Special Representative Maria Isabel Salvador said in her briefing to the UN Security Council.   Gang violence is expanding at an alarming rate in areas previously considered relatively safe in the capital, Port-au-Prince, and outside the city, with a shocking increase in criminality and abuses, and a police force that is unable to handle the situatio   At the same time, almost half the population, 5.2 million people, needs humanitarian aid, amid an ongoing cholera epidemic that has generated nearly 40,000 suspected cases since October.   “The Haitian people deserve your urgent action. If not supported, the vicious circle of violence, political, social, and economic crisis, in which the people struggle every day, will continue,” she said.   She highlighted the horrific violence in gang-ridden areas, including sexual violence particularly targeting women and girls, is emblematic of the terror afflicting much of the population. During the first quarter of the year, 1,647 criminal incidents - homicides, rapes, kidnappings and lynching – were recorded, according to data from the Haitian National Police and the UN mission in the country, BINUH, which she heads.   The figure is more than double the number recorded during the same period in 2022, and last month saw the highest incident rates in nearly two decades.   The Haitian National Police is severely understaffed and ill-equipped to address the violence and criminality, she said.   “I would like to emphasize the urgent need for the deployment of an international specialized force, as articulated by the Secretary-General in October 2022. We urgently need to support the Haitian National Police”.   Haitians continue to suffer one of the worst human rights crises in decades, with people living in areas under gang control exposed to the highest rate of abuses.   Gangs continue to use sexual violence, including gang rape, to terrorize and inflict pain on populations living in areas controlled by their rivals. They have also inflicted other forms of sexual violence and exploitation against women and girls living in communities under their influence.   Ms. Salvador said children are among the victims of the most heinous crimes, including killings, kidnappings and rape. They have been struck by stray bullets while in class or when being dropped off at school.   Many schools were forced to close last year due to the violence and extortion by gangs. Although some have reopened, many students have not returned, either because of insecurity or inability to pay.   http://news.un.org/en/story/2023/04/1136057 http://reliefweb.int/report/haiti/humanitarian-coordinator-haiti-alerts-crisis-raging-cite-soleil http://unocha.exposure.co/this-is-not-a-country-where-you-can-dream http://www.mercycorps.org/press-room/releases/violence-pushing-haiti-civil-war http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/03/haiti-gang-violence http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/02/haiti-rise-extreme-gang-violence-makes-living-nightmare-turk http://www.ohchr.org/en/statements/2023/02/un-high-commissioner-human-rights-volker-turk-concludes-his-official-visit-haiti   Immediate action needed to save children’s lives in Haiti amid triple threat of cholera, malnutrition and violence, UN child rights committee warns. (OHCHR)   The Committee on the Rights of the Child is deeply concerned about the severe violations of children’s rights in Haiti. Amid a surge in violence, the rights of children to life, education, safe water, sanitation, health, and nutrition are under threat.   Given the escalating insecurity, the majority of children have not gone to school since the academic year started on 3 October. More recently, and after three years without a reported case, cholera is back, threatening the health, well-being, and even lives of the 1.2 million children living in areas where cholera cases have been reported.   According to projections by UNICEF, nearly 100,000 children under five face severe acute malnutrition. The situation is alarming as malnourished children are even more at risk from the unfolding cholera outbreak.   Amid the rising violence, insecurity and economic hardship, many of the poorest Haitian families have no access to safe drinking water, soap to wash their hands and other basic sanitation, increasing the risk of catching cholera. In addition, hospitals are only able to offer limited functions as a result of both fuel shortages and insecurity.   Many Haitian children live in fear of being recruited, kidnapped, injured or killed by armed gangs. Children as young as 10, the vast majority of whom are girls, have been subjected to collective rape for hours in front of their parents amid the explosion of gang violence. One in four girls and one in five boys have been sexually abused in Haiti’s capital.   The international community needs to act immediately to support the national authorities in guaranteeing the rights of millions of Haitian children to live, grow, learn, and thrive in a climate free from violence.   The Committee urges Haiti to comply with its international human rights obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Optional Protocols on the involvement of children in armed conflict and on the sale of children, child prostitution, and child pornography.   In particular, the Committee urges all government authorities and non-State actors to protect the rights of all Haitian children and facilitate access to humanitarian assistance for the most vulnerable families.   http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/haiti-armed-violence-against-schools-increases-nine-fold-one-year-unicef http://www.icrc.org/en/document/haiti-severe-levels-insecurity-must-not-be-obstacle-much-needed-humanitarian-aid http://www.unicef.org/haiti/en/press-releases/1-2-children-depend-humanitarian-aid-survive-year http://reliefweb.int/report/haiti/humanitarian-coordinator-haiti-alerts-crisis-raging-cite-soleil http://www.ohchr.org/en/statements/2022/11/immediate-action-needed-save-childrens-lives-haiti-amid-triple-threat-cholera http://www.msf.org/haiti-msf-forced-suspend-activities-after-armed-men-kill-patient http://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/investigation/2022/11/14/Haiti-gang-violence-women-gender-based-violence-war-humanitarian-needs http://www.crisisgroup.org/latin-america-caribbean/haiti/frank-giustra-devastating-situation-haiti   http://unocha.exposure.co/seven-things-to-know-about-the-humanitarian-crisis-in-haiti http://www.acaps.org/country/haiti/special-reports http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/10/haiti-gangs-use-sexual-violence-instill-fear-un-report http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/latest/haiti-people-port-au-prince-are-suffering-armed-clashes-spread http://www.savethechildren.net/news/haiti-more-22-million-children-need-violence-surges-across-country http://www.unicef.org/topics/haiti http://www.wfp.org/stories/gripped-spiraling-hunger-and-violence-haiti-needs-help-now-0 http://unocha.exposure.co/road-blockade-shatters-resilience-in-southern-haiti http://www.msf.org/maintaining-healthcare-amid-extreme-uncertainty-haiti http://www.msf.org/unbearable-insecurity-haiti-amidst-violence-and-economic-crisis   Apr. 2023   Millions in North Central America engulfed by war-like levels of violence. (NRC)   Extreme levels of violence in Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador are shattering lives and compounding humanitarian needs. Almost one in three people in North Central America are in urgent need of aid. The international community continues to overlook this crisis and is failing to provide adequate funding. It is becoming yet another large, protracted, neglected humanitarian disaster, warns the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).   “The kinds of stories people have been telling me here in Honduras are similar to those from people in war-zones like Syria, Yemen or Ukraine,” said Jan Egeland, Secretary General of NRC, whilst visiting the country last week.   “Violence permeates the very fabric of life and forces tens of thousands to flee their homes. People need support and protection so they can access their rights and live in safety and with dignity. A school now supported by NRC in La Lima had 5,000 students five years ago. Now, there are 1,200 left as thousands have dropped out or fled for the United States due to violence, the devastation of hurricanes, and poverty.”   Across North Central America, heavily armed gangs, drug traffickers and transnational criminal organisations fuel society-wide corruption, and gender-based violence.   On top of this, the region is increasingly struck by the consequences of climate change and extreme weather events, destabilising livelihoods, and reducing access to resources. In Honduras alone, 3.2 million people are in need of aid, many of whom require both protection and food assistance.   North Central America has one of the highest homicide rates in the world. The crisis manifests in forced displacement of entire communities, gang recruitment of children and young people, a lack of access to medical care, and large numbers of children dropping out of school. Rates of sexual violence and femicide far exceed rates globally.   Despite the acute and growing humanitarian needs, last year saw grossly inadequate levels of funding for the response and some of the lowest globally, with El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras receiving between a quarter and a half of the required amounts. 70 per cent of all funding for the region in 2022 came from the United States, highlighting the failure of other donor countries in Europe, the Gulf and large Asian economies to play their part. This trend looks set to continue in 2023.   “Families that NRC is assisting with relocation, support and protection in Honduras told me how armed gangs used violence to take their land and property, and threatened to recruit their children. This forced them to flee their homes and ended their livelihoods and their children’s education,” said Egeland. “Women had survived horrific violence at home, including rape and other sexual violence. A woman was murdered every 28 hours last year in Honduras. Without increased attention and support for this crisis, nothing will change.”   http://www.nrc.no/news/2023/april/millions-in-north-central-america-engulfed-by-war-like-levels-of-violence/ http://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/analysis/2023/05/17/gang-violence-latin-america-challenge-aid-sector Visit the related web page
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