Washington, DC., 22 July 2025 ——
Haiti, the first Black republic and the second independent nation in the Western Hemisphere, once a beacon of resilience in the face of natural disasters and political upheaval, is now facing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. Exacerbated by political instability, spiraling gang violence, widespread displacement, natural disasters, economic hardship, and acute food insecurity. The desperate situation has pushed millions of Haitians to the brink of survival. This crisis, largely neglected on the world stage, has transformed daily life into a struggle for safety, shelter, and sustenance.
A Nation Held Hostage by Violence
Armed gangs now control over 80% of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and significant swathes of the country. These groups operate with impunity, extorting local businesses, terrorizing civilians, and waging violent turf wars. The security vacuum left by a collapsed government has allowed gang leaders to act as de facto authorities in many neighborhoods.
Political instability has made it nearly impossible to address these issues effectively. The assassination of President Jovenel Moise in July 2021 plunged Haiti into deeper chaos. Since then, elections have been postponed repeatedly, leaving a fragile transitional government with little power to enforce law and order. International efforts to support Haiti’s police force have largely failed, and local law enforcement is often outgunned or compromised.
Civilians are paying the highest price. According to recent UN reports, thousands have been killed or injured in gang violence since the start of 2024 alone. Mass kidnappings, sexual violence, and brutal executions have become commonplace, instilling a pervasive fear that disrupts everyday life and economic activity.
A Displacement Crisis with No Refuge
The wave of violence has triggered massive internal displacement. As of mid-2025, more than 580,000 Haitians have been forced to flee their homes, many of them repeatedly. Makeshift camps have sprung up in abandoned buildings, schools, and public spaces across Port-au-Prince and beyond.
Conditions in these camps are dire. Sanitation is almost nonexistent, and access to clean water, medical care, and basic hygiene is severely limited. Aid organizations, though active, are overwhelmed and often unable to reach the most affected areas due to the security situation.
Families are torn apart, and children – especially girls – face heightened risks of abuse and exploitation. The psychological toll of displacement, especially on young people, is incalculable.
Children and the Human Cost
The human toll is most evident among Haiti’s children. Malnutrition rates are soaring. Thousands of children under five suffer from acute malnutrition, which stunts growth and increases the risk of death. In rural areas, families often eat only once a day, and schools that once provided meals are not closed or unable to serve food.
Hunger has also forced many children into labor or onto the streets in search of food. The long-term impacts on education, health, and development are profound and may take generations to reverse.
Hunger and Economic Collapse
Haiti’s hunger crisis is among the worst in the world. According to the World Food Programme, over 4.9 million people, nearly half of the country’s population, are experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity, with 1.8 million facing emergency levels of hunger. The convergence of conflict, inflation, climate shocks, and collapsing infrastructure has created a famine-like scenario in many regions.
The economy, already fragile, has virtually collapsed. Agricultural production has plummeted due to gang control of rural transport routes, theft of crops, and displacement of farmers. Imports are irregular and unaffordable for most Haitians due to hyperinflation and a depreciating currency. Food prices have soared due to transportation challenges and inflation.
The result is a spiraling humanitarian disaster: empty markets, unaffordable staples, and children going to bed hungry night after night. Humanitarian organizations are struggling to deliver aid as convoys are frequently targeted and looted, or blocked, unable to deliver sufficient assistance to those most in need.
USAID Suspension Impact
The suspension of USAID (United States Agency for International Development) operations in Haiti has had a noticeable impact on the ongoing crisis. USAID was a major provider of food aid, health services, and sanitation infrastructure. The suspension worsened food insecurity.
USAID had long funded governance programs, supported civil society elections, and anti-corruption work. Without this support, Haiti’s already-weak institutions struggled even more to respond to the political vacuum and lawlessness.
Call for Urgent Global Action
Despite the scale of the crisis, international attention and funding remain grossly inadequate. UN appeals for humanitarian aid in Haiti have been chronically underfunded, and diplomatic efforts to broker political stability have stalled. The promise of an international security support mission, led by Kenya and backed by the UN, has faced repeated delays and operational challenges.
What Haiti needs is not just food and medical aid, but a long-term, coordinated strategy. There needs to be reform of the security sector to address gang control and a restoration of law and order. Haiti needs credible and inclusive elections to ensure political stabilization. Infrastructure investment is needed, especially in healthcare, education, and agriculture. Finally, there has to be support for displaced populations to rebuild their lives in safe, dignified conditions.
Haiti’s crisis is not just a humanitarian emergency; it is a profound failure of international solidarity. The nation that once ignited a revolution against colonial rule and slavery now struggles under the weight of violence, displacement, and starvation. The hunger crisis in Haiti is not just a tragedy; it is a preventable disaster rooted in decades of neglect, corruption, and global indifference. The world cannot afford to look away.
Without immediate, bold, and coordinated intervention, the suffering will only deepen, and the chance for recovery will slip further from reach. For Haiti’s people, survival should not be the only ambition – stability, dignity, and hope must return to the horizon.
Photo Credit: PAHO/WHO support for crisis in Haiti by Pan American Health Organization, PAHO. Licensed under CC BY NC ND 2.0 The security crisis in recent weeks has made it difficult for us to work with internally displaced people in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area to support health authorities. – United Nations OCHA. 19 March 2024
Author Note: If you would like to support humanitarian efforts in Haiti, organizations like the World Food Programme (WFP), UNICEF, ICRC, World Central Kitchen (WCK), Doctors Without Borders (MSF), and Haitian-led NGOs are actively working on the ground.
Lara Kajs is the founder and executive director of The Genocide Report, an NGO nonprofit organization in Washington, DC. She is the author of Assad’s Syria, and Stories from Yemen: A Diary from the Field, available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Apple Books, and independent bookstores worldwide. Distributed by Ingram. Ms. Kajs frequently speaks about atrocity crimes, forced displacement, state terrorism, and International Humanitarian Law (IHL). Follow and connect with Lara Kajs on Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, and Bluesky.