Nearly 1.5 million people have been displaced across Haiti as armed gang violence spreads beyond the capital, the International Organization for Migration said in a report on Friday.
About 80 per cent of internally displaced people are now living outside Port-au-Prince, with the largest recent increase recorded in the Artibonite department.
Artibonite had previously been seen as a refuge for families fleeing violence elsewhere, but escalating insecurity between May and August forced more people to leave their homes, the IOM said.
Armed gangs have gained near-total control of Port-au-Prince and have continued expanding their influence into rural areas.
Near the capital, recent attacks in Ken scoff displaced more than 4,000 people, with reports of homes being burned, kidnappings and killings.
Hundreds of thousands of displaced Haitians are now living in informal settlements, collective shelters and other precarious conditions, leaving them particularly vulnerable during the Atlantic hurricane season.
“For families already displaced by violence, a major storm could trigger another humanitarian emergency,” IOM Haiti Senior Emergency Coordinator Elise Verron said.
The IOM said the worsening displacement crisis was reducing the number of safe options available to people already affected by Haiti’s prolonged insecurity.
