Haiti displacement crisis forces over 300,000 IDPs as violence spikes in Port-au-Prince

More than 300,000 people are now internally displaced in Haiti, the highest figure on record, after renewed gang attacks in the Cité Soleil slum displaced over 18,000 residents in May alone. The surge follows earlier violence in the South‑East Department that forced another 5,000 people from their homes, and a wave of forced returns that has brought over 110,000 Haitians back to the country since early 2026.

Gregoire Goodstein, IOM Chief of Mission in Haiti, warned that “Haiti’s displacement crisis is entering an even more alarming phase.” He described a woman who fled her community by wading through sea water up to her neck and crawling through muddy fields to avoid gangs. Displaced families now live in overcrowded spontaneous sites or with host families, facing severe shortages of shelter, food, clean water, healthcare and psychosocial support, while protection risks such as exploitation increase.

Humanitarian agencies, including the IOM, are delivering emergency shelter, healthcare, water and sanitation, psychosocial assistance and relief supplies, but stress that longer‑term support—improved safety, basic services, legal identity documentation and paid work opportunities—is essential, especially as the Atlantic hurricane season threatens further hardship.