More than half of Haitians are still grappling with a food crisis, as reported by the World Food Programme (WFP) on Friday. The WFP, in collaboration with the government and partners, is aiding 2.7 million individuals in Haiti through various initiatives like emergency food assistance, school meals, social protection programs, and support for smallholder farmers.
WFP Haiti Country Director, Wanja Kaaria, cautioned against complacency despite slight improvements in food security figures. Kaaria emphasized the risk of setbacks due to increased fuel prices leading to higher food costs, potentially pushing already vulnerable families further into crisis and exacerbating the situation.
Haiti has been facing a worsening food security crisis for nearly a decade, attributed to factors such as violence linked to armed groups, political turmoil, economic challenges, and susceptibility to extreme weather events like Hurricane Melissa, which struck the southern region in late 2025.
WFP is advocating for significant measures and funding to deliver immediate relief and invest in sustainable solutions to combat food insecurity affecting more than half of Haiti's population. Kaaria stressed the importance of addressing hunger to restore stability in the country, highlighting the inability to achieve peace when families struggle to feed their children.
To sustain its critical operations for the next year, WFP requires $332 million. With adequate funding, WFP aims to assist over 2.7 million people with essential emergency aid and resilience-building support. However, the Humanitarian Response Plan for Haiti, totaling $880 million, is only 20% funded, with $172 million received thus far.
Recent armed attacks have led to the displacement of hundreds in the South-East department. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that violence on April 13 in Marigot municipality forced over 1,300 individuals to flee their homes. This incident marks the first instance of displacement on such a large scale directly related to armed assaults in the South-East department, which previously served as a refuge for those displaced by violence in other parts of the country. Currently, more than 165,000 individuals are being hosted by private entities across the department.
Overall, conflict in Haiti has uprooted over 1.4 million people, with approximately 300,000 individuals residing in overcrowded and unsanitary temporary shelters in the capital, Port-au-Prince.
