UNITED NATIONS (CMC) – The United Nations’ International Organization for Migration (IOM) says nearly 1.3 million people have been forced to flee gang violence in Haiti and seek refuge elsewhere within the French-speaking Caribbean Community (Caricom) member state.

On Wednesday, the IOM said this represents a 24 per cent increase from December 2024 – the largest number of people displaced by violence on record there.

“Behind these numbers are so many individual people whose suffering is immeasurable; children, mothers, the elderly, many of them forced to flee their homes multiple times, often with nothing, and now living in conditions that are neither safe nor sustainable,” said IOM Director General Amy Pope.

The UN said these figures were released just ahead of a meeting on Wednesday at UN Headquarters in New York, organised by the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) in examining how peace and stability can return to the Caribbean nation, following years of chaos and crisis.

The meeting discussed ways of consolidating peace at the local level and reducing the violence, particularly through the involvement of women and youth in local initiatives.

At a press conference prior to the meeting, ECOSOC president Bob Rae said the current situation in Haiti was “truly existential.”

“It’s important that we have a meaningful discussion about what we can do together to address these problems,” he said, emphasising that it’s “not just about increasing firepower.”

Joining the briefing via videoconference, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Haiti, María Isabel Salvador, also stressed that this is a “multifaceted crisis”, which must be addressed with similarly multifaceted and dynamic solutions.

“We believe that the international community’s response must match the scale, urgency, and complexity of the challenge,” she said. “That’s why strong international security support must be accompanied by peacebuilding measures, humanitarian action and political support that could ultimately allow Haiti to make progress on the path to sustainable development.”

Salvador said one way to reduce violence in Haiti is by empowering communities themselves, especially women and children, to lead bold new initiatives.

The UN said Haiti has been experiencing a resurgence of violence since mid-February.

According to the IOM, while the capital, Port-au-Prince, remains the epicentre of the crisis, with 85 per cent controlled by gangs, violence, extending beyond the capital, has intensified in the past few months.

Recent attacks in the Centre and Artibonite departments have forced tens of thousands of other residents to flee, many now living in precarious conditions and temporary shelters.

“Although about a quarter of all internally displaced people still live in the capital, a growing number of people are fleeing to other parts of the country in search of safety,” the IOM said.

In the Artibonite department in western Haiti, it said over 92,000 people have been displaced – largely because of violence in Petite Rivière.

In the Centre department, the situation is even more “alarming”, with a total of 147,000 displaced.

This number has doubled from 68,000 in the past few months as a result of fighting in towns like Mirebalais and Saut-d’Eau.

As more and more people are forced to flee, the UN said the number of spontaneous displacement sites is also increasing.

Since December, these sites have increased from 142 to 246.

Around 83 per cent of refugees are staying with host families, putting a strain on already overstretched households, particularly in rural communities.

Armed violence continues to severely disrupt access to basic services, according to the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, creating “a deepening humanitarian crisis.”

“We must act urgently. The strength of the Haitian people is impressive, but resilience cannot be their only refuge. This crisis cannot become the new normal,” Pope said.

The President of the General Assembly, Philémon Yang, spoke at the ECOSOC meeting about the importance of adjusting “not just our attention but our action” and coordinating efforts across the UN to maximise impact.

“We must do our utmost to ensure that Haiti is not abandoned to a future of fear and despair but instead is embraced by a global commitment to peace, opportunity and dignity,” he said.