Haiti: Urgent needs must be met through long-term engagement

This crisis goes beyond the usual centers of insecurity. Families in urban and rural communities continue to flee attacks, often multiple times and with increasingly limited safety options.

“The refugee crisis in Haiti is now entering a more worrying phase,” said Gregoire Goodstein, IOM Head of Mission in Haiti.

In May alone, attacks again occurred in the densely populated Cité Soleil district – the largest slum in the capital – displacing more than 18,000 people within a few days.

The surge pushed the number of internally displaced people in Port-au-Prince past 300,000 for the first time in history.

Mr. Goodstein described the experience of a woman who fled Port-au-Prince after her community was targeted by a gang attack: “To reach safety, her family waded into the sea up to their necks, then crawled through farm fields covered in mud and rubbish to avoid being seen by the gang,” he said.

Most of those fleeing escalating violence seek refuge in overcrowded spontaneous shelters or live with host families who are already struggling to provide for themselves.

Safe area under pressure

Widespread insecurity increasingly blurs the distinction between areas of conflict and areas of displacement.

Just weeks before the violence in Cité Soleil, an armed attack in Haiti’s Southeastern Department displaced more than 5,000 people.

The region was previously considered a safer destination for people fleeing unrest in other parts of the country.

Humanitarian agencies say these changes reflect worrying trends: Communities that once housed refugee families have now become refugee centers.

At the same time, the crisis is exacerbated by continued forced displacement. Since the start of 2026, more than 110,000 Haitians have been returned to their country, including women, children and other vulnerable groups.

Many of them arrive with limited resources and limited support, returning to areas already affected by insecurity or struggling to absorb additional population pressures.

Among the returnees are particularly vulnerable groups, including unaccompanied children, pregnant women and postpartum women, many of whom faced difficult and unsafe conditions upon arrival.

Essential services are expanding

Across refugee camps and in host communities, humanitarian needs continue to increase. Refugee families report severe shortages of shelter, food, clean water and health services.

Access to psychosocial support also remains limited despite extensive trauma related to repeated displacement and exposure to violence.

Overcrowded living conditions and worsening access to services also raise protection concerns, including increased risks of exploitation and abuse.

Humanitarian agencies warn that conditions could worsen as the Atlantic hurricane season begins. Flooding and severe weather pose additional threats to thousands of evacuees living in overcrowded, temporary shelters with limited protection from storms.

Supporting solutions

Despite insecurity and difficult operating conditions, IOM and humanitarian partners continue to provide emergency assistance in some of the hardest hit areas of Haiti.

Current efforts include emergency shelter, health services, water and sanitation services, psychosocial support, relief supplies, and site management assistance.

Aid agencies stress that humanitarian aid alone will not be enough. The Haitian community needs support beyond just emergency aid, including increased safety, access to basic services, legal identity documentation and paid employment opportunities.