By Milo Milfort
Port-au-Prince (EFE).- Armed gangs have cut off access to food for thousands of people in Haiti’s central Artibonite region, forcing families into displacement camps where they rely on daily distributions for survival, aid workers and residents said Wednesday.
“In some cases, when I don’t get the food they distribute, I leave without eating,” said Fleuranta Cilné, a displaced woman attending a food handout in Petite Rivière de l’Artibonite (rural Haiti), a town once known for its rice fields but now plagued by violence.
Over recent months, heavily armed groups have seized control of farming areas in Artibonite, displacing thousands of farmers and residents.
“I lost everything; the gangs took it all,” Cliné added.
Many now live in camps without basic services such as water, healthcare, or electricity.
“The situation of the country forces me to come here for food, but also the lack of economic means,” Cilné told EFE, recalling that she was expelled from her home in Verrettes by gangs.
The food distributions, where sticky rice with meat sauce is handed out, have become tense gatherings with people jostling and children crying.
At least 5.7 million Haitians are facing food insecurity, a “historic record,” according to the National Food Security Coordination (CNSA).
Rising unemployment, inflation, and gang control of key roads have made access to food increasingly difficult.
Violence and displacement escalate in Artibonite
Artibonite, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) north of Port-au-Prince, is one of the country’s most fertile regions.
Today, many fields lie abandoned as families flee to urban centers or displacement sites.
“This is how I sleep,” said Cilné, showing the conditions of her shelter.
Suffering from a stomach ulcer and unable to afford school fees for her two teenage children, she added: “I depend on one hot meal a day.”
Despite the presence of the UN-backed Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) and local police, gangs continue to expand.
The region has also seen the rise of more than 20 self-defense groups formed since 2017 to counter escalating violence.
Armed groups linked to politicians and past elections
The roots of Artibonite’s armed groups trace back to the 2015 legislative elections, when candidates armed young men to secure votes and later abandoned them. Many of these groups evolved into today’s gangs that took over the capital.
Two local politicians, former deputy Prophane Victor and ex-senator Youri Latortue, have been sanctioned internationally for allegedly financing criminal groups in the region.
According to a UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) report, at least 20 armed groups operate in Artibonite, including gangs and vigilante militias.
The two most notorious gangs, Gran Grif and Kokorat San Ras, emerged between 2015 and 2017 and are accused by residents of repeated massacres, sexual violence, kidnappings, and looting.
mm/seo
