Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
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Pourcine-Pic Makaya (Agenzia Fides) - "Behind every number stands a person whose suffering is immeasurable: children, mothers, the elderly, many of whom have been forced to leave their homes more than once, often with only the clothes they were wearing, and who now live in conditions that are neither safe nor acceptable," said Amy Pope, Director-General of the United Nations International Organization for Migration, following the release of the Report on June 11, which revealed that nearly 1.3 million people have currently been displaced from their homes due to violence in Haiti, the highest number in the country's history, equal to 11.5 million.
In the first quarter of 2025 alone, another 1,600 people were killed – and 1,000 injured – by criminal gangs, with several massacres claiming dozens of lives each. Port-au-Prince remains the epicenter of the crisis, but gang violence is spreading far beyond the capital, according to the IOM. Recent attacks in the northwestern departments of Centre and Artibonite are said to have forced hundreds of thousands of residents to flee, many of whom are now living in makeshift shelters under extremely precarious conditions. In Artibonite, the largest of the country's 10 departments, the violence has displaced more than 92,000 people from their homes in the municipality of Petite Rivière alone, which has a population of around 200,000. The situation is even more alarming in the Centre department. In cities with fewer than 200,000 inhabitants, such as Mirebalais and Saut-d'Eau, the number of displaced people has more than doubled from around 68,000 to over 147,000 within just two months. Many people now live without access to medical care, clean water, and schools, leaving already vulnerable families struggling to survive, according to the IOM. As more and more people are forced to flee the country, the number of spontaneously created camps for displaced persons continues to grow. Since December, the number of these camps has risen from 142 to 246.
In this climate of suffering, pain, crisis, and abandonment, there is many initiatives to help the population. One of these is "Let's Move for Haiti," a race/walk in the Gesso-Stura River Park, that will be held on Wednesday, July 2, by a group of friends and supporters of Father Massimo Miraglio. The Italian Camillian missionary from Borgo San Dalmazzo near Cuneo has lived and worked in Haiti, one of the poorest regions in Central America, for almost 20 years. All proceeds from the event will benefit the project "A Network of Paths for Human and Economic Development," which the missionary has been implementing for several months in the parish of Pourcine/Pic Makaya, where he is parish priest (see Fides, 25/9/2024). Father Massimo had announced the end of the first phase of cleaning and maintaining some paths to allow people to move more safely and quickly and to promote the economic and social development of the area (see Fides, 19/3/2025).
"Today," writes Father Massimo, "we are in the first days of the final exams for the 2024-25 school year at the elementary school of the Pourcine-Pic Makaya parish. Another year is coming to a close with satisfaction, but so much remains to be done." In addition to the school, other projects initiated by the missionary continue, such as adult literacy classes, the guesthouse, the reintroduction of coffee cultivation, the bean plantations, the aqueduct, and the many community activities.
According to the IOM report, it is estimated that almost half of Haiti's population is in need of humanitarian assistance, primarily in the form of food, shelter, hygiene and healthcare, and access to basic services such as drinking water and electricity. Regarding security, the local police have been reinforced by several hundred soldiers from an international support mission led by the Kenyan military police and composed of troops from Central American and Caribbean countries.
"Without immediate funding and access, millions of people will continue to be at risk," said Amy Pope. The IOM representative believes that humanitarian assistance is essential, but it is not the only thing needed. "We must act now. The strength of the Haitian people is inspiring, but resilience cannot be their only refuge. This crisis must not become the new normal," the IOM Director General concluded. (AP) (Agenzia Fides, 17/6/2025)
