View previous stories
	UN agencies call for urgent action as hunger deepens in conflict-hit DRC by UN News, NRC, WFP, UNHCR, agencies Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)   Dec. 2025   More than half a million people have now been uprooted by escalating violence in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) the UN said on Thursday, warning that the M23 rebel offensive is driving a rapidly worsening humanitarian emergency.   The UN’s Deputy Spokesperson said Secretary-General António Guterres was “deeply alarmed” by the surge in attacks across South Kivu, where what’s officially known as the Alliance Fleuve Congo/Mouvement du 23 mars (AFC/M23) has advanced into several towns since 2 December.   The UN and Security Council have repeatedly described the majority-Tutsi M23 militia as backed by Rwanda.   Dozens of civilian deaths and many more injuries have also been reported in Kamanyola, Luvungi, Katogota and Uvira triggered mass displacement and caused civilian casualties.   Mr. Guterres called for an “immediate and unconditional cessation of hostilities,” urging all parties to honour commitments made under the peace accords signed by the leaders of DRC and Rwanda on 4 December and the Doha Framework Agreement reached in November.   The UN aid coordination office (OCHA) said new assessments indicate that more than 500,000 people have been displaced in just over a week, a dramatic rise from earlier estimates.   While some families have returned to areas where fighting has momentarily subsided, most remain in overcrowded sites where the risk of cholera, mpox and other disease outbreaks is rapidly rising.   In the key town of Uvira – reportedly overrun by AFC/M23 fighters on Wednesday – sporadic gunfire continued in several neighbourhoods. Radio Okapi, operated by the UN peacekeeping mission MONUSCO, reported that the city’s streets were deserted, the border crossing with Burundi closed, and residents sheltering indoors amid fear and uncertainty.   Hospitals are struggling to cope. Uvira’s main referral hospital is receiving a steady influx of wounded patients, including more than 60 people transferred after Ruzizi Hospital ceased operations due to insecurity.   The latest surge comes after one of the most volatile years in eastern DRC in recent memory. Fighting between the Congolese armed forces, local militias and M23-aligned fighters intensified sharply earlier this year, culminating in the fall of Goma in January and repeated waves of displacement across North and South Kivu.   UN Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region Huang Xia said the newest escalation “seriously undermines prospects for a durable settlement” and risks igniting broader regional tensions. He urged all armed actors to step back from confrontation and facilitate rapid, unhindered humanitarian access.   http://www.ipcinfo.org/ipcinfo-website/countries-in-focus-archive/issue-140/en/ http://www.ipcinfo.org/ipcinfo-website/countries-in-focus-archive/issue-138/en/ http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/statement-unicef-children-displaced-escalating-violence-eastern-drc http://www.unocha.org/publications/report/democratic-republic-congo/facing-critical-funding-gap-humanitarian-community-drc-forced-strictly-prioritize-its-response-2026 http://news.un.org/en/story/2025/12/1166657   5 Dec. 2025   The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that hostilities continue unabated across South Kivu province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, resulting in more civilian deaths, injuries and displacement.   Since 2 December, intense fighting – including the use of heavy weaponry and shelling – has been reported in several villages across the territories of Uvira, Walungu, Kabare, Fizi and Kalehe. These attacks have damaged critical infrastructure and homes. Local civil society sources have reported that at least 20 civilians were reportedly killed on 2 December.   Meanwhile, local health authorities in Walungu territory say that at least 13 civilians have been admitted to hospital. Intense fighting and roadblocks have rendered evacuations impossible, preventing an unknown number of injured civilians from reaching medical facilities. Thousands of residents who could not flee remain confined to their homes without access to food or basic supplies.   The violence has forced people to flee their homes. As of the end of October, there were 1.2 million displaced people in South Kivu.   OCHA urgently calls on all parties to the conflict to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law and protect all civilians and civilian infrastructure. Humanitarian access must be guaranteed to allow life-saving assistance to reach those in need.   http://news.un.org/en/story/2025/12/1166572 http://www.icrc.org/en/news-release/democratic-republic-congo-deadly-clashes-south-kivu-worsen-humanitarian-situation http://www.unocha.org/news/todays-top-news-occupied-palestinian-territory-democratic-republic-congo-ukraine-3 http://www.unocha.org/latest/news-and-stories?responses=36   Nov. 2025   WFP, FAO call for urgent action as hunger deepens in conflict-hit DRC.   The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) warn today of the escalating humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) with acute food insecurity remaining stubbornly high and emergency hunger levels surging in the conflict-hit eastern provinces.   According to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis, 26.6 million people nationwide are projected to face crisis levels of food insecurity or worse (IPC Phase 3 and above) by early 2026, including 3.9 million people in emergency levels of hunger (IPC Phase 4). This is an increase from the current figures of 24.8 million and 3.2 million respectively.   Food insecurity dire in the eastern provinces   The hunger crisis is most severe in the conflict-affected eastern provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu, Ituri, and Tanganyika. Ongoing violence, population displacement, and limited humanitarian access continue to worsen food insecurity in these areas. By January 2026, more than 10 million people in these four provinces – about one-third of the local population – are expected to face crisis levels of food insecurity or worse, struggling daily to meet their basic food needs.   Among them, 3 million people are already experiencing emergency levels of hunger, representing 75 percent of all those in such conditions nationwide and an increase of 700,000 since March 2025.   Malnutrition among children remains a serious concern in the eastern provinces of Ituri, South Kivu, and Tanganyika. Beyond these regions, malnutrition is widespread across the country. Nearly half of all children under five — approximately 3.2 million — are stunted due to chronic undernutrition, severely impacting their growth and development.   “Emergency agricultural assistance is one of the most cost-effective ways to meet urgent humanitarian needs,” said Athman Mravili, Representative ad interim for FAO in DRC. “By equipping vulnerable and displaced families with the tools to grow their own food and earn income, this support not only addresses immediate hunger but also fosters resilience. Importantly, communities themselves consistently identify agricultural assistance as a top priority in times of crisis.”   But, by the end of August 2025, FAO had assisted just 217,000 people out of the 3.6 million planned, due to a massive funding gap. For 2026, FAO requires US$127 million to scale up support to assist around 2.4 million people.   WFP continues to focus its response in the eastern provinces, but growing needs threaten to overwhelm already stretched resources. In 2025, WFP had planned to support 2.3 million people, but assistance has now been reduced to 600,000 people due to funding shortfalls. WFP’s country operation currently faces a US$349 million funding gap through April 2026.   Cynthia Jones, WFP’s Acting Country Director and Representative in DRC. “The latest IPC figures make one thing clear: the eastern DRC’s food crisis is escalating. Without urgent resources and action, millions of lives are at risk, and regional stability will suffer. The time to act is now.”   http://www.wfp.org/news/hunger-surges-drcs-conflict-hit-eastern-provinces-yet-funding-gaps-force-wfp-scale-back http://www.wfp.org/news/wfp-fao-call-urgent-action-hunger-deepens-drc http://www.wfp.org/emergencies/drc-emergency http://www.nrc.no/news/2025/october/dr-congo-decades-of-neglect-must-end http://www.ipcinfo.org/ipcinfo-website/countries-in-focus-archive/issue-138/en/ http://news.un.org/en/story/2025/11/1166305   Aug. 2025   Ceasefire in doubt as Rwanda-backed rebels kill hundreds in eastern DR Congo. (UN News/OHCHR)   Hopes for peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have been shaken by a surge in brutal attacks on civilians by armed groups, including the Rwandan-backed M23 militia, in the country’s troubled eastern region.   The UN human rights office (OHCHR) said it had received first-hand accounts indicating that at least 319 civilians were killed by M23 fighters, aided by members of the Rwanda Defence Force, between 9 and 21 July in North Kivu province.   Most of the victims, including at least 48 women and 19 children, were local farmers camping in their fields during the planting season.   Volker Turk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, condemned the “surge of deadly violence”.   “I am appalled by the attacks on civilians by the M23 and other armed groups in eastern DRC amid continued fighting, despite the ceasefire that was recently signed in Doha,” he said.   “All attacks against civilians must stop immediately and all those responsible must be held to account.”   The latest massacre marks one of the highest civilian death tolls documented since the M23 – a group largely composed of Congolese Tutsi fighters established over 15 years ago – re-emerged as a major military threat in 2022.   The spike in violence comes just weeks after two high-level peace initiatives appeared to offer a path forward. On 27 June, Rwanda and the DRC signed a bilateral peace agreement in Washington, followed by the so-called Doha Declaration between the DRC Government and M23 rebel leaders on 19 July, which committed both sides to a ceasefire and further negotiations.   However, humanitarian NGOs say little has changed on the ground.   “I urge the signatories and facilitators of both the Doha and Washington agreements to ensure that they rapidly translate into safety, security and real progress for civilians,” Mr. Turk said.   Meanwhile, other armed groups continue to terrorise civilians across eastern Congo. In July alone, the UN documented deadly attacks by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), Cooperative pour le developpement du Congo (CODECO) and Raia Mutomboki/Wazalendo militias in Ituri, South Kivu and North Kivu.   On 27 July, ADF fighters attacked a Christian congregation in Ituri’s Komanda village, killing at least 40 worshippers – including 13 children – and torching homes, shops and vehicles. Earlier in the month the same group killed at least 70 civilians in a single attack on Pikamaibo village. Women and girls are also enduring systematic sexual violence as a weapon of war.   The growing insecurity is fuelling what humanitarians describe as one of the world’s most acute humanitarian crises. According to UN figures, over 7.8 million people are now internally displaced (IDPs) in eastern DRC – the highest figure on record – while 28 million people are facing food insecurity, including nearly four million at emergency levels.   The World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that funding shortfalls may soon force it to suspend lifesaving assistance to hundreds of thousands.   Health services are also collapsing under pressure. In the first half of 2025, 33 attacks were recorded on health workers and facilities – a 276 per cent increase from the previous six months, according to the UN reproductive health agency, UNFPA.   http://news.un.org/en/story/2025/08/1165586 http://news.un.org/en/story/2025/09/1166000 http://phr.org/news/millions-suffer-in-humanitarian-crisis-as-world-leaders-meet-at-paris-summit-on-conflict-in-democratic-republic-of-congo-drc-phr/ http://www.ungeneva.org/en/news-media/news/2025/09/111246/dr-congo-peace-still-elusive-despite-progress-we-see-paper-un http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/08/drc-turk-appalled-attacks-against-civilians-rwandan-backed-m23-and-other   24 July 2025   Six months into Congo’s war, cholera is killing more than four people every day   Six months since the renewed war in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a full-blown public health emergency is accelerating, Oxfam warned today.   Since January, more than 35,000 suspected cholera cases and at least 852 related deaths have been reported – an average of more than four deaths every day and a 62 percent increase compared to 2024.   After M23 fighters seized Goma in January civilians were ordered to return to their villages within 72 hours. More than 3.16 million people have since returned back only to find their homes reduced to rubble, and aid system on the verge of collapse.   Water networks, including storage facilities have been obliterated, leaving families to drink from contaminated streams and stagnant lakes. Basic health services have crumbled, with hospitals out of medicine and sanitation systems in ruins. In some of the hardest-hit areas, like Sake and Minova, 500 people are now sharing a single water tap.   Dr. Manenji Mangundu, Oxfam’s Director in DRC said: “This is a full-blown public health emergency. Families are returning to ruins—no shelters, no toilets, no clean water. In many areas, latrines have been flooded or stripped for firewood, forcing people to defecate in the open and contaminate the only water available. The air reeks of sewage. Hospitals are out of medicine, and we can’t reach cut-off communities with even the most basic aid.”   In South Kivu’s Uvira region, cholera is surging with 100 new cases being reported each day. Floodwaters from Lake Tanganyika routinely inundate homes and latrines overflow into the lake, even as families are forced to drink lake water.   The forced closure and destruction of more than 20 displacement sites in Goma alone has left 700,000 people without safe shelter, clean water or basic sanitation In Rusayo, Lushagal, and Bhimba —where Oxfam had been supporting over 100,000 people—entire sites have been razed or abandoned.   Despite a US-brokered ceasefire, insecurity, roadblocks, and ongoing clashes have severed vital supply routes, cutting off communities from lifesaving food, clean water, and medicine.   Aid agencies like Oxfam are now being forced to detour through Rwanda, severely hampering relief efforts. Cross-border access through Burundi has been entirely blocked, while illegal taxes and bureaucratic obstruction are further choking humanitarian deliveries.   Deep aid cuts since the start of 2025 have pushed the humanitarian response to the brink of failure. Only a fraction of the $2.54 billion needed this year as humanitarian aid in DRC has been received to date—forcing agencies like Oxfam to scale back or suspend life-saving operations. Even a UN investigation into possible war crimes has been frozen for lack of funding.   “People are suffering because we cannot reach them,” said Balume Loutre, Oxfam’s Public Health Engineering Team Leader in Eastern DRC. “They’re drinking from contaminated water sources, and we lack the resources to deliver even basic aid. In some villages, 15,000 families need help, but we can only support 500. We’re forced to make impossible choices, leaving thousands behind.”   The situation is particularly alarming for women and girls. Since the cuts to USAID funding, more than 8,200 people living with HIV have lost access to antiretroviral treatment. Emergency post-rape care kits are vanishing, even as a child is reported raped every half an hour in eastern DRC, according to UNICEF.   Despite the collapse of the aid system, Oxfam and its partners continue to try and deliver lifesaving assistance – constructing water systems, building latrines and distributing soap and hygiene kits, food and seed. But urgent funding is needed to reach 400,000 people in high-risk cholera zones.   “We need an immediate injection of funds, and all warring parties to commit to a permanent ceasefire and allow aid to flow freely. After six months of chaos, people need dignity and respite from relentless violence. The world cannot look away,” said Mangundu.   http://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/six-months-congos-war-cholera-killing-more-four-people-every-day http://www.acaps.org/en/countries/archives/detail/drc-cholera-outbreak-in-the-eastern-province http://www.msf.org/women-eastern-drc-nowhere-safe-sexual-violence http://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2025/08/drc-warring-factions-in-eastern-drc-commit-horrific-abuses-including-gang-rapes-summary-executions-and-abductions/   27 June 2025   UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has welcomed the peace agreement between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda signed on Friday in the United States capital, Washington, DC.   The accord is “a significant step towards de-escalation, peace and stability in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Great Lakes region,” he said in a statement that evening.   Since the 1990s, eastern DRC has been plagued by dozens of armed groups who have terrorized the population. The Government has long accused Rwanda of supporting the M23 rebel group. Earlier this year, M23 launched an offensive in North and South Kivu provinces, capturing cities and villages, including provincial capitals Goma and Bukavu.   Thousands of civilians were killed, hundreds of thousands more were displaced, and serious human rights violations were committed.   The Secretary-General commended parties facilitating the mediation process, including The US, Qatar and the African Union Mediator, President Faure Gnassingbe of Togo. He also acknowledged the contributions of the five co-facilitators designated by the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC).   He urged the parties to fully honour their commitments under the peace agreement and in line with UN Security Council resolution 2773 (2025), including the cessation of hostilities and all other agreed measures. The resolution, unanimously adopted in February, condemned the M23 offensive and called for the DRC and Rwanda to return to diplomatic talks.   http://news.un.org/en/story/2025/06/1165071 http://www.unhcr.org/us/news/press-releases/news-comment-unhcr-welcomes-drc-rwanda-peace-agreement-opportunity-end-cycles http://news.un.org/en/story/2025/06/1165056 http://news.un.org/en/story/2025/06/1164981 http://www.unocha.org/democratic-republic-congo http://www.unocha.org/latest/news-and-stories?responses=36 http://reliefweb.int/report/democratic-republic-congo/atrocity-alert-no-447-un-human-rights-council-democratic-republic-congo-and-afghanistan http://news.un.org/en/story/2025/06/1164466 http://www.ohchr.org/en/statements-and-speeches/2025/06/hc-turk-updates-council-situation-north-and-south-kivu-provinces http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/06/democratic-republic-congo-national-ownership-essential-address-internal http://tinyurl.com/5xm3tysc http://www.unocha.org/news/todays-top-news-occupied-palestinian-territory-yemen-democratic-republic-congo-sudan http://www.msf.org/sexual-violence-eastern-drc-persistent-emergency http://www.care.org/media-and-press/emergency-kits-run-out-alongside-hope-for-drc-sexual-violence-survivors/ http://www.crisisgroup.org/africa/great-lakes/democratic-republic-congo-rwanda/dr-congo-rwanda-deal-now-comes-hard-part http://www.concern.net/news/democratic-republic-congo-crisis-explained   23 May 2025   As more people are driven from their homes in Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) food insecurity worsens, creating heightened humanitarian needs regionally. (WFP)   The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warned today that the sheer scale of people being displaced from their homes in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) due to escalating conflict, is pushing food insecurity to crisis proportions and deepening an already strained humanitarian response both internally and across the region.   WFP is scaling up its efforts to ensure lifesaving aid reaches displaced communities, but assistance is not keeping pace with the growing needs.   Violent clashes between the Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC), M23, and other armed groups have uprooted more than 660,000 people since January in Goma alone, leaving these individuals without reliable access to food.   In the conflict-affected eastern provinces of DRC, (Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, and Tanganyika) the number of people facing acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 and above) has risen from 6.6 million to 7.9 million. Some 2.3 million of these people are in IPC phase 4.   Food production in North Kivu’s Grand Nord, an important agricultural hub in eastern DRC, is deeply affected by escalating insecurity and mass displacement.   According to the latest assessment, more than 90 percent of households in North and South Kivu are facing acute levels of food insecurity, with many families forced to reduce meal sizes, eat less nutritious food and resort to begging. Local food prices have increased as insecurity disrupts trade routes and market access, leaving families struggling.   The DRC is now home to 28 million acutely food insecure people (IPC 3 and above).   Cross-border displacement is compounding the food crisis. In the first four months of 2025 nearly 140,000 Congolese fled to neighbouring countries, with Burundi and Uganda receiving the largest influxes – 70,000 and 60,000 respectively. People fleeing into neighboring countries have abandoned their farms and many lack access to critical services including food, shelter and healthcare..   WFP is working with humanitarian partners to ensure people receive life-saving assistance, but the needs are soaring, and the resources are not keeping pace. Insecurity and ongoing armed clashes are limiting humanitarian access, making it difficult to reach the most vulnerable communities in eastern DRC.   The shortage of food commodities is significantly impacting WFP’s emergency response, particularly in South Kivu where general food distributions were not possible in April. Goma airport, a key humanitarian hub, remains closed.   WFP urgently requires US$426 million to sustain emergency operations in the DRC through October 2025. Without immediate support, millions risk being cut off from lifesaving assistance, further deepening the humanitarian crisis both at country and regional level.   http://www.wfp.org/news/more-people-are-driven-their-homes-drc-food-insecurity-worsens-creating-heightened http://www.wfp.org/stories/hunger-soars-drc-wfp-regional-chief-urges-joint-action-reverse-course http://www.ipcinfo.org/ipc-country-analysis/details-map/en/c/1159546/?iso3=COD   2. Apr 2025   DR Congo: Millions facing destitution as violence forces people to flee multiple times   The escalation of violent conflict in recent months has pushed hundreds of thousands of people in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) into desperate conditions, warns the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) Secretary General Jan Egeland on a visit this week.   Displaced families sheltering at temporary sites have once again been forced to flee, as fighting and abuse plunge people into life-threatening situations. The explosion of humanitarian needs requires immediate attention from an international community that has turned its back on people in crisis. Parties to the conflict must end the violence facing civilians.   “I am truly shocked by the conditions I have seen in and around the city of Goma. The lives of hundreds of thousands of people here in eastern DRC are hanging by a thread,” said Egeland. “Right across North and South Kivu, people have been repeatedly compelled to flee camps, where essential facilities were often already inadequate. Now, most find themselves in locations that lack shelter, basic sanitation, or drinking water, with diseases such as cholera rapidly increasing as a result.   “Many displaced people I’ve listened to this week have lost everything after years of violence. It is unacceptable that a small number of humanitarian organisations are faced with a vast mountain of needs. It is high time that assistance here matches the vast scale of human suffering. Long term solutions must be enabled, with children quickly allowed to return to school, banks to re-open, and an immediate end to violence and threats of violence against civilians.”   Since the M23 offensive across the region earlier this year, an estimated 1.2 million people have been displaced across North and South Kivu provinces. 1.8 million people have been compelled to return to their places of origin, often to locations which bear deep scars from years of conflict between multiple armed groups. Civilians face threats, gender-based violence, and extreme deprivation. Unexploded munitions continue to prevent many communities from fully cultivating their land.   “Fighting and conflict are still continuing, with thousands of families caught in limbo, without the means to rebuild or cultivate food. The situation facing civilians in eastern DRC has for years been a stain on the international community: now it has become even worse,” said Egeland.   NRC teams are providing displaced people with emergency aid, but there is too little funding available. The United States has for long been the largest donor to emergency relief and development aid in the country, but many US-funded projects have been interrupted or paused due to changes at USAID, just as humanitarian needs in DRC exploded.   DRC has for eight consecutive years been ranked as one of the world’s most neglected displacement crises, due to repeated cycles of conflict, lack of funding for aid and media attention, or effective humanitarian and peace diplomacy. Millions of people have been repeatedly driven from first their homes and then, again, from camps, often multiple times. Families have been pushed into impossible choices just to survive, such as going to dangerous areas to find firewood to sell, exchanging sex for food, or sending young children to beg for money.   “The level of global neglect experienced by civilians in eastern DRC should shame world leaders. Now, at a point of deep insecurity and with many families having returned to their areas of origin, there must be concerted action to finally support the population properly. Humanitarian and development assistance must now take priority: the people of DRC must not be faced with simply more of the same,” said Egeland.   http://www.nrc.no/news/2025/april/dr-congo-millions-facing-destitution-as-violence-forces-people-to-flee-multiple-times http://www.wfp.org/stories/hunger-soars-drc-wfp-regional-chief-urges-joint-action-reverse-course http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/child-reported-raped-every-half-hour-eastern-drc-violence-rages-amid-growing-funding http://reliefweb.int/report/democratic-republic-congo/humanitarian-coordinator-statement-member-states-briefing-humanitarian-situation-drc-geneva-25-march-2025 http://reliefweb.int/report/democratic-republic-congo/reports-sexual-violence-eastern-drc-surge-almost-700-march-armed-conflict-intensifies-actionaid http://www.icrc.org/en/news-release/icrc-president-respect-international-humanitarian-law-key-breaking-vicious-cycle-conflict-eastern-democratic-republic-congo
	More than 1.3 million people have been displaced in Haiti by gang violence by UN News, MSF, UNICEF, ActionAid, agencies   Oct. 2025   5.7 million Haitians face high levels of acute food insecurity. (IPC)   Armed gangs continue to expand territorial control within Haiti, driving over half of the population - nearly 5.7 million people - into high levels of acute food insecurity. Gang violence, coupled with a suffocating economy are leaving the Haitian people in a desperate situation.   The food security situation continues to deteriorate. Out of the 5.7 million people facing high levels of acute food insecurity, classified in Crisis or worse (IPC Phase 3 or above), 17 percent of the population (1.9 million people) are facing Emergency levels of acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 4), characterised by large food gaps and high levels of acute malnutrition. An additional 3.8 million people (34 percent of the population) face Crisis levels of acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3).   The situation in Haiti is a complex, multi-dimensional crisis, marked by an economy that has been in steady decline for several years - recording economic recessions for the last six years - and attacks by armed gangs that have led to massive population displacements and the deterioration of livelihoods.   Data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) indicates that approximately 1.3 million people are now internally displaced in Haiti, a 24 percent increase compared to December 2024. Between June and July 2025, the number of internally displaced person (IDP) sites increased from 246 to 272. This increase is mainly due to displacement caused by armed attacks in the Centre department since April 2025.   Since mid-July, several armed attacks have affected the municipalities of Dessalines, Verettes, Liancourt, and Petite Rivière, located in the Lower Artibonite. Nearly 210,000 people were hosted in spontaneous sites in Haiti in July 2025. Despite the support of humanitarian actors, these people face overcrowding, characterised by precarious living conditions and a lack of sanitation facilities. This situation increases the risks of sexual violence, diseases such as cholera, and psychological distress for the displaced, who lack adequate access to drinking water, food, and healthcare.   Insecurity, which is prevalent in the metropolitan area and spreading further into the regions, is suffocating the Haitian economy. In areas occupied by armed groups, farmers who have managed to carry out their agricultural activities are forced not only to negotiate access to plots of land but also to share their produce. Households that relied on small businesses have been forced to abandon their sources of income and many people have lost their jobs due to the closure of certain businesses located in areas occupied by armed groups.   A deterioration is expected in the projection period (March to June 2026) in connection with the lean season with 5.91 million people (53 percent of the population) projected to face high levels of acute food insecurity, including nearly 2 million people in Phase 4 and 3.9 million people in Phase 3.   http://www.ipcinfo.org/ipcinfo-website/countries-in-focus-archive/issue-136/en/   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://www.unicef.org/press-releases/unicef-executive-director-catherine-russell-remarks-security-council-open-debate http://www.wfp.org/news/haiti-brink-violence-cuts-capital-pushing-families-towards-starvation-amidst-cuts-humanitarian http://www.msf.org/people-and-health-system-are-trapped-escalating-violence-haiti 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://www.ipsnews.net/2025/08/haiti-faces-a-critical-turning-point-amid-escalated-violence-and-funding-cuts/ 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 Visit the related web page
	View more stories