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Tuesday, September 27, 2022

Haiti's desperate catastrophe

 A chronic gang, economic and political crisis has led to a humanitarian catastrophe in Haiti, Helen La Lime, the country's UN envoy has said.

World Food Program's (WFP) executive director Valerie Guarnieri, said: "The situation in Haiti has sadly reached new levels of desperation".

La Lime told the UN Security Council that an estimated 2,000 tonnes of food aid, valued at close to $5m (£4.6m), were lost following repeated attacks on local warehouses of the UN Food Programme.

"That would have collectively supported up to 200,000 of the most vulnerable Haitians over the next month", she said.

Thousands are calling for Prime Minister Ariel Henry's resignation. Civil unrest across the island escalated after he announced an end to government fuel subsidies on 11 September, which caused petrol and diesel prices to skyrocket. Since then, protests and looting have intensified, with the capital, Port-au-Prince, at the heart of it. Rates of gang violence, which had already shot up since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse by mercenaries a year ago, have reached shocking new levels since a battle erupted on 8 July between two criminal alliances, known as G9 and G-Pèp.

Inflation has risen to its highest level in a decade, and 40% of the country is relying on food assistance to survive. Food security is expected to deteriorate further this year, with 1.3 million people in a state of emergency due to the crisis.


Haiti in a humanitarian catastrophe - UN envoy - BBC News

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