UN Haiti chief warns of 'catastrophic' impact of gang war displacements

FILE PHOTO: Armed gang members walk through the streets near the presidential palace, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti April 23, 2024. REUTERS/Ralph Tedy Erol/File Photo

(Reuters) - A top executive at the United Nations' migration agency on Tuesday warned of catastrophic humanitarian consequences for the spiraling numbers of Haitians forced to flee their homes due to violence fueled by a conflict with armed gangs.

"The figures we see today are a direct consequence of years of spiraling violence," said Philippe Branchat, who heads the International Organization for Migration's (IOM) Haiti arm, "and its catastrophic humanitarian impact."