Haiti: Humanitarian Response Overview, Situation Report - May 2023

This report was prepared by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Haiti with contributions from humanitarian partners. It contains the latest information available as of 31 May 2023 and covers the period from 1 to 31 May 2023.

HIGHLIGHTS

• The beginning of May was marked by a number of violent incidents linked to gang activity, as well as the "Bwa kale" grassroots self-defence movement.

• On 15 May, the Humanitarian Emergency Communication and Advocacy Group launched a campaign to raise awareness on key humanitarian needs.

• OCHA carried out a multi-sectoral analysis of secondary data from the Port-au-Prince Metropolitan Area (ZMPAP, per its French acronym)) to assess cross-sectoral and sectoral vulnerabilities amid growing insecurity.

• The Access Working Group took part in a bi-national workshop between Haiti and the Dominican Republic to engage with the Importation and Customs Clearance Together (IMPACCT) Working Group, the logistics sector and stakeholders in the two countries and discuss the easing of bureaucratic constraints, particularly in relation to customs procedures for the transport of emergency stocks to Haiti.

KEY FIGURES

73.7% Share of the ZMPAP population analysed by OCHA with a severity index of 3 or more

10% Percentage of ZMPAP neighbourhoods hosting displaced populations receiving at least one form of assistance (OCHA)

63% Percentage of ZMPAP neighbourhoods hosting displaced populations whose population identifies economic resources as a priority need (DTM)

SITUATION OVERVIEW

The increase in violent action by self-defence groups under the banner of the "Bwa kale" movement, which began in April, continued throughout May. The number of people killed, injured and kidnapped in the ZMPAP continued to rise at the beginning of May, before falling back to levels that were still well above those recorded in January. While gang activity is still the main source of violence, self-defence groups are also involved in a large number of summary killings of people presumed to belong to gangs.

Although the Cité Soleil commune continues to record the highest levels of violence, violent incidents have spread to ZMPAP neighbourhoods once considered safe. Several humanitarian workers in the field have been attacked and threatened by members of the communities they are helping, particularly during response activities in unsafe areas.

It is essential that those involved in the response are able to assist the most vulnerable, particularly in gang- controlled neighbourhoods where access to basic services remains difficult, especially with the onset of the hurricane season (which has already seen flooding). Against this backdrop, on 15 May 2023, the Humanitarian Emergency Communication and Advocacy Group launched a campaign to raise awareness on basic humanitarian standards, particularly among groups engaging in violence, to reaffirm the principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence that guide humanitarian action and standards.