iciHaiti - Armed gangs : 130,000 children displaced in Port-au-Prince
Following urban armed violence, more than 200,000 people are now displaced across the country, including 130,000 children only in Port-au-Prince. The situation remains very unstable, with constant threats of armed attacks weighing on all the city.
"The violence has escalated spectacularly in the space of a few days. In some neighborhoods of Port-au-Prince, families are subjetc to armed groups determined to expand their influence, and too many people have no choice that to leave their homes to seek refuge from this terrible violence," declared Bruno Maes, UNICEF representative in Haiti. Adding "The situation is remarkably unpredictable. Displacement sites can disappear in an instant following an unexpected escalation of violence. This is why we must always be ready to quickly restore essential support systems for vital services [...] Flexible support from our financial partners is essential to enable us to quickly adapt our response."
The situation continues to evolve rapidly, with new daily movements caused by new attacks and an environment of permanent insecurity. UNICEF and its partners are stepping up efforts to meet the immediate needs of affected communities, including deploying mobile clinics to address health risks and malnutrition, and providing water, hygiene kits and sanitation and water tanks. One of the main concerns now is ensuring that displaced children can return to school as soon as the school year begins.
