Haiti’s Displacement Crisis Surpasses One Million: UN Report

The number of displaced people in Haiti has surged threefold over the past year, surpassing one million amid escalating gang violence, according to the United Nations. Children make up more than half of the displaced population.

A report released by the UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Tuesday revealed that 1,041,000 individuals, many of whom have been displaced multiple times, are struggling to survive. The crisis is driven by relentless gang violence, which claimed over 5,600 lives in 2024 and left thousands more injured or abducted. Armed gangs now control large parts of Port-au-Prince, while the police face accusations of violence against suspected gang members, compounding the nation’s long-standing political instability.

The IOM highlighted that 83 percent of displaced Haitians rely on already overburdened host communities, including friends, family, and acquaintances, for shelter. The remainder endure harsh conditions in makeshift sites, which have increased from 73 to 108 over the past year.

Further exacerbating the situation, 200,000 Haitians were deported back to the country in 2024, placing additional strain on its overstretched social services.

Efforts to address the crisis have seen limited success. Despite a Kenyan-led police support mission backed by the United States and the UN, violence continues to escalate.

Belize’s involvement in the Kenya-led mission to restore peace in Haiti has begun with the deployment of two Belize Defence Force (BDF) soldiers to Port-au-Prince. These soldiers are serving as staff officers in the CARICOM Joint Taskforce, led by Jamaica, and are gathering ground-level intelligence. Brigadier General Azariel Loria explained that their work will help inform the timing of a larger deployment, which is contingent on the procurement of necessary equipment. Countries like the Bahamas and Barbados are also contributing troops, coordinated by the Regional Security System (RSS). The BDF will proceed with its full deployment once conditions and logistics are deemed favourable.