Dana Malcolm

Staff Writer

#Haiti, January 19, 2024 – Over 8 million Haitians are facing severe food insecurity according to the World Food Program in a January 2nd report. The last quarter of 2023 was the worst since the WFP began monitoring the country in 2021, with 72.4  percent of people going hungry in October alone.

The situation has improved since then but only barely. November readings found that the percentage of residents estimated to have insufficient food consumption had dropped to 70.8 percent or 8.2 million. The number, which encompasses the vast majority of Haitians, is described as alarmingly high by WFP.

It’s not a matter of the food being totally unavailable, but border issues and the economy are putting the squeeze on vulnerable residents.

“While most basic food commodities are globally available throughout the country, the closure of the border with the Dominican Republic has had some tangible impacts on specific commodities, specifically in border departments such as the North-East,” the report explained.

WFP is estimating that within two months the economic situation will become untenable for 30 to 35 percent of residents, rendering them unable to afford basic necessities.

In addition to that, the El Niño-fueled dry season that has grounded the Panama Canal and affected crop yields across the Caribbean and South America is being felt in Haiti.

“Conditions have worsened from August to October, with severely dry conditions in the southern peninsula. In November, a tropical depression brought abnormally important amounts of rainfall, but given the timing (very late in the season) and the intensity (some croplands in the southern peninsula were damaged),” WFP said.

The resulting agricultural situation is bleak according to the organization. Countries surrounding Haiti are experiencing effects of the humanitarian crises with increased level of irregular migration.

In addition, the multinational force that was approved by the United Nations for Haiti, in late 2023 has stalled as the leading country Kenya has been affected by an internal legal issue blocking their police force from being deployed overseas.