The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that escalating violence in Haiti’s capital is cutting off humanitarian access and worsening hunger, as extreme funding shortfalls force the agency to slash rations and suspend key programmes. Armed groups now control nearly 90 percent of Port-au-Prince, leaving farmers isolated from markets and driving up food prices with devastating consequences for already vulnerable families.
An estimated 1.3 million people have been displaced in search of food and shelter. Thousands of families are crowded into schools and public buildings, cut off from income-generating opportunities and education. More than half of the displaced are children, contributing to high rates of malnutrition, particularly in neighborhoods with minimal access to essential services.
Funding shortfalls have forced WFP to suspend hot meals for newly displaced families and cut food rations in half. For the first time, the lack of resources has prevented WFP from prepositioning food to respond to natural disasters during the Atlantic hurricane season.
The recent UN Security Council resolution to deploy a larger multinational force to restore security in Haiti is a welcome step toward stability. WFP emphasizes that security efforts must be coupled with scaled-up humanitarian and development investments to prevent further social breakdown, displacement, and regional spillover.
“Violence has consumed every corner of the capital, leaving no neighborhood untouched, and armed groups are now moving into previously peaceful rural areas,” said Wanja Kaaria, WFP Country Director and Representative to Haiti. “The impact on food security has been extreme. Today, more than half of all Haitians don’t have enough to eat. With current funding levels, WFP and partners are struggling to keep starvation at bay for thousands of the most vulnerable – children, mothers, entire families who are running out of options and hope.”
Despite insecurity and restricted access, WFP has reached over 2 million people with life-saving assistance since January 2025. Efforts to support longer-term food security continue through school meal programmes for 600,000 Haitian students, over 70 percent of which use locally grown ingredients, providing income opportunities for farmers and suppliers. Targeted community infrastructure projects, including in areas controlled by armed groups, have restored irrigation systems and boosted local food production, helping communities rebuild livelihoods and reduce dependence on aid.
Haiti faces one of the world’s most severe food crises, with 5.7 million people experiencing acute food insecurity. It is the only country in the Americas, and one of just five globally, confronting catastrophic (IPC5) levels of hunger, equivalent to famine-like conditions.
“Haiti is at a crucial juncture,” stressed Kaaria. “We urge international partners to step up to enable WFP and its partners to provide not only life-saving emergency assistance, but also to invest in programmes addressing the root causes of hunger, supporting Haiti’s recovery and creating hope for the future.”
WFP urgently requires US$139 million over the next 12 months to reach the country’s most vulnerable families. Without immediate support, the risk extends beyond hunger, threatening stability, livelihoods, and the potential for social collapse and forced migration.
