Nearly three years ago, on July 7th, 2021, Haiti's forty-third president, Jovenel Moïse, was assassinated, exacerbating an already precarious food security situation in the country. Following his death, political instability and gang violence have increased leaving almost five million Haitians to go hungry and need food assistance (according to recent UN figures). Jean-Martin Bauer, the Country Director in Haiti for the World Food Program, states that “Haitians are on the edge - every other person is now hungry. Rising hunger is fuelling the security crisis that is shattering the country. We need urgent action now - waiting to respond at scale is not an option”.
Since the death of Moïse, gangs have started to rise in power, and now control up to 90 percent of the nation’s capital, using hunger as a weapon in order to coerce their local population. This violent increase has led to rising prices, low agricultural production, political turmoil, civil unrest, and severe poverty. Various gangs have disrupted food supplies, erected roadblocks, and occasionally paralyzed the economy through threats and blockades, aiming to assert their control. Due to this surge in gang violence, and their new influence, over 360,000 civilians have been displaced across the country within this year alone.
Now, years after the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, the security situation in Haiti continues to deteriorate, with gangs controlling a massive percentage of the capital. Record levels of kidnapping, violence, and hunger have plunged the nation into a deep crisis, forcing many citizens to rely on food aid and humanitarian assistance for survival.
At Dare Humanity we aim to tackle food insecurity with our Men Kontre Program, providing food supplies to families in the nation’s Capital twice a month. In order to effectively combat food scarcity, it is important to get the Men Kontre Program back up and running as soon as possible. We need your assistance to continue aiding and nourishing the vulnerable population of Port au Prince which will not only provide food security for affected families, but will help contribute to long-term prosperity in Haitian communities. Help us feed Haiti! Donate now!
Sources:
https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/two-years-after-moise-assassination-impact-gang-violence-haiti#:~:text=Overview,kidnappings%20are%20at%20record%20levels.
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