Nearly 1.5 million displaced in Haiti as violence spreads, UN says

Haiti's displacement crisis is spreading ​beyond the capital, with ​nearly 1.5 million ‌people uprooted across ​the country, the International Organization for Migration said in a report published on ‌Friday. • Nearly 80% of those internally displaced are now located outside the capital of Port-au-Prince, with the sharpest recent displacement increase in ‌Artibonite department, once considered a refuge for families fleeing violence ‌elsewhere, the report said.

• Armed gangs in Haiti have near-total control over Port-au-Prince and have been expanding into rural areas. • Displacement in Artibonite rose ⁠between ​May and August 2026, ⁠as escalating insecurity forced new waves of movement and reduced safe options ⁠for the affected population, the IOM said

• Near the capital, recent ​armed attacks in Kenscoff displaced more than 4,000 people, with ⁠reports of homes burned, kidnappings and killings, the report said. • Hundreds of ⁠thousands ​of displaced people are living in informal settlements, collective sites or other precarious conditions, increasing their vulnerability during the ⁠Atlantic hurricane season, the IOM said.

• "For families already displaced by violence, a ⁠major ⁠storm could trigger another humanitarian emergency," IOM Haiti Senior Emergency Coordinator Elise Verron said in the report.