The UN said today that it will withdraw $5 million from its emergency fund and donate it to Haiti with the intention of save the lives of tens of thousands of people that are immobilized due to the situation of urban warfare between criminal gangs operating in the capital.
Since last July, hundreds of people have been killed in clashes between these gangs, in particular Cité-Soleil, in the metropolitan area of ​​Port-au-Prince. Added to this is the critical humanitarian situation in the country, aggravated a year ago by the earthquake that devastated the southern region.
Some 280,000 people are severely affected by gang violence, which has cut into their ability to have access to food, water, and medical careexplained the spokesman for the UN Office of Humanitarian Affairs in Geneva, Jens Laerke.
Between 1 and 1.5 million people They live in neighborhoods controlled by criminal gangs.
The allocation of 5 million dollars will alleviate the situation of some 100,000 people and the UN hopes that it will be an alarm signal about the situation in Haiti and convince donors (countries and institutions) to help the population of this country, one of the poorest in the world.
The ONU asked for 373 million dollars to meet the most urgent needs of the population in Haiti in 2022, but has only received funding equivalent to 14%.