Haiti, already reeling from years of political instability and economic decline, is now facing a humanitarian catastrophe of staggering proportions. According to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) hunger report, published by the United Nations and detailed by several international agencies, a staggering 5.7 million Haitians—more than half the country’s population—are currently experiencing severe food insecurity. This crisis, described by the UN as one of the deepest in the Western Hemisphere, has intensified as armed groups continue to expand their territorial grip, displacing millions and crippling the nation’s ability to provide even the most basic necessities to its people.
The numbers are grim. As of October 2025, 1.9 million Haitians—about 17 percent of the population—are suffering from Emergency-level hunger (IPC Phase 4), a classification that signals large food gaps, acute malnutrition, and an increased risk of excess mortality. Another 3.8 million people, or 34 percent, are facing Crisis conditions (IPC Phase 3), often forced to exhaust what little resources they have just to survive. The IPC report, cited by the UN and covered by outlets such as the BBC, paints a picture of a nation on the brink: "Millions of Haitians are facing food insecurity as armed groups continue to expand their territorial control around the country," the report states.
And the future looks even bleaker. The IPC projects that by mid-2026, as the lean season begins—a period between harvests when food supplies dwindle and prices soar—conditions will deteriorate even further. It is expected that 5.9 million people, or 54 percent of the population, will be facing acute food insecurity. The UN warns that this could push the country deeper into a humanitarian abyss, with the most vulnerable suffering the gravest consequences.
What’s driving this crisis? The causes are as complex as they are devastating. Armed gangs have seized control of critical infrastructure across Haiti, including roads, farmlands, and ports. This stranglehold has displaced more than 1.3 million people—a 24 percent increase since December 2024, according to the International Organization for Migration. The number of displacement sites has also ballooned, rising from 246 to 272 between June and July 2025, following a series of violent attacks in the Centre department.
Since mid-July, repeated assaults in regions such as Dessalines, Verettes, Liancourt, and Petite Rivière in the Lower Artibonite have forced thousands to flee their homes. Many now find themselves in overcrowded, makeshift camps that lack even the most basic amenities: sanitation, clean water, and medical care. The risks of cholera outbreaks are growing, and reports of sexual violence, trauma, and severe hunger are multiplying by the day. The IPC report notes, "Displaced populations face overcrowding, precarious living conditions, lack of sanitation, increased risks of sexual violence, cholera, psychological distress, and inadequate access to safe water, food, and healthcare."
For those who remain in gang-controlled areas, daily life is a harrowing struggle. Farmers who have managed to continue working their land are often forced to negotiate with armed groups just to access their plots and are sometimes compelled to share their harvests with the very gangs that threaten them. Households that once relied on small businesses have seen their livelihoods vanish, as rampant violence and extortion have forced many enterprises to close, leaving countless families without income or hope for the future.
Haiti’s 1987 Constitution enshrines the right to life, health, and social welfare. Yet, these rights are now under direct threat from the state’s inability to secure food and safety for its citizens. The country’s obligations under international law are clear as well: after ratifying the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) in 2013, the Haitian government is required to respect, protect, and fulfill the right to adequate food. The UN has pointedly noted that under these standards, Haiti may bear responsibility for failing to take "appropriate measures" to prevent foreseeable rights violations caused by hunger and displacement.
International response has not been idle, but it has struggled to keep pace with the rapidly deteriorating situation. On September 30, 2025, the UN Security Council voted to overhaul the international policing effort in Haiti, replacing the beleaguered Kenya-led Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) with a much larger and more aggressive "gang-suppression force." This new force, consisting of 5,500 military, police, and civilian personnel, has been authorized to conduct independent, intelligence-led counter-gang operations, secure vital infrastructure, and arrest those responsible for the violence. The mission’s initial mandate is set for 12 months, with the hope of restoring some semblance of order and democratic governance.
The UN Security Council’s decision was not unanimous, but it did pass with significant support: twelve of the Council’s fifteen members, including the United States, voted in favor, while Russia, China, and Pakistan abstained. The resolution, drafted by the US and Panama, aims to "neutralize, isolate, and deter gangs" and to secure critical sites such as ports, airports, and schools—vital not only for Haiti’s recovery but for the delivery of desperately needed humanitarian aid.
Despite these efforts, humanitarian organizations warn that immediate and expanded intervention is essential. The IPC has called for emergency measures to prevent the poorest households from resorting to "harmful coping strategies"—such as selling off essential assets or skipping meals—and for the expansion of social protection programs. Without urgent action, the report cautions, the crisis could spiral even further out of control, with lasting consequences for generations of Haitians.
There is, of course, no simple solution. The crisis in Haiti is the result of years of compounded challenges—political, economic, and social—and the path to recovery will be long and fraught with setbacks. Yet, the scale of suffering now unfolding demands not only international attention but decisive action. As the IPC starkly concludes, "Emergency intervention is needed to prevent the poorest households from resorting to harmful coping strategies and to expand already existing social protection programmes."
As Haiti stands at this precarious crossroads, the world is watching—and, perhaps more importantly, millions of Haitians are waiting to see whether help will arrive in time.
