UNITED NATIONS, CMC – The executive director of the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), Catherine Russell, Tuesday said “countless children” are at risk of death in Haiti as gangs tighten their grip on power and the humanitarian crisis worsens in the French-speaking Caribbean Community (Caricom) country.

“The violence and instability in Haiti have consequences far beyond the risk of the violence itself,” she said in a statement.

Russell said that more than 125,000 children are imminently threatened by severe acute malnutrition, all “while life-saving supplies are ready to be delivered if violence stops and roads and hospitals are opened.”

People crowd in for plates of food for their children at a shelter for families displaced by gang violence, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on March 22.

A report by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification initiative, said that an estimated five million people, accounting for about half of Haiti’s population, have been pushed to “high levels of acute food insecurity” since gang violence surged.

Food insecurity and the health crisis are worsened by limited access to those in need. UNICEF said a lack of security wrought by the gang violence has restricted aid deliveries and weakened the country’s health care system.It has called for the return of law and order to Haiti’s streets so hospitals, schools and other “humanitarian spaces” can be protected.

Farhan Haq, the deputy spokesperson for the secretary-general, said Tuesday the World Food Programme (WFP) has said that together with their local partners, they delivered hot meals to 18,500 displaced people, making it their largest distribution in March.

“However, access to people in need remains sporadic. Between the 20-22 March, WFP reported that it was not able to reach some 18,000 people in need with food due to roadblocks and insecurity,” Haq added.

He said since February 29, UNICEF and its partners have distributed some 1.7 million litres of water for more than 15,000 people in Port-au-Prince.

“On the health front, the monitoring of disease outbreaks continues in sites for displaced people across the capital. Our health colleagues warn that the distribution of medicine and medical supplies, including supplies to respond to cholera, remains a critical need, with insecurity hindering the replenishment of stocks,” Haq added.

Health is also being monitored in the capital, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA. The agency said disease outbreak monitoring is continuing in sites for displaced people.

Despite recent successes in providing aid, OCHA said that more aid needs to be given. It said the WFP was still not able to reach thousands of people, and that medical supply distribution was a “critical need,” but stock replenishment was hindered.

Gangs launched a coordinated attack on the capital late last month, plunging the nation into chaos by destroying infrastructure and causing civilian fatalities.

Prime Minister Ariel Henry has said he would resign once a transitional presidential council is created. But that has been delayed following disagreements over council members.

According to Caribbean officials, no meetings with nominated members of the council have been planned for this week, as they have asked for more time to work on internal issues.