170,000 Haitian children displaced amid uncertainty over Kenyan police deployment

At least 170,000 Haitian children have been displaced amid a surge in gang-led killings and kidnappings, sexual violence and a severe food crisis, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has warned.

The alarming figure represents a two-fold increase from last year, highlighting the rapidly deteriorating situation in the Caribbean nation whose hopes lie in the deployment of the Kenyan-led Multinational Security Support mission to quell the insecurity.

As of January 2024, the latest figures reveal that nearly 314,000 people have been uprooted across the country, mostly in Port-au-Prince and the Artibonite department, with half of them estimated to be children.

In less than two weeks, nearly 2,500 people, most of them women and children, have been newly displaced following clashes in the areas of Solino and Gabelliste, in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince.

The dire situation has placed an enormous strain on the already limited resources of host communities and existing social services.

"In Haiti, children and families are enduring relentless waves of brutal violence, with each day bringing new horrors, the loss of loved ones, homes being destroyed by fire, and an ever-present shadow of fear,” said UNICEF Representative in Haiti, Bruno Maes, who visited three displacement sites in Port-au-Prince's.

“Deprived of essentials like food, healthcare, and education, they are mired in a crisis that strips away the very essence of childhood. This is a humanitarian catastrophe unfolding before our eyes."

There are increasing instances of children being forcibly recruited, while others join armed groups driven by sheer desperation.

The violence, coupled with certain demonstrations and protests in various departments, has led to the temporary closure of hundreds of schools, depriving children of their right to education.

"We cannot remain idle while the future of Haiti's children is being eroded by unending suffering. Every moment of inaction deepens the crisis that consumes their lives. The global community must bring hope and change to these young lives, ensuring a brighter, more secure future for them," said Maes.

In 2024, UNICEF estimates that three million children across Haiti will require humanitarian aid due to escalating violence, malnutrition, cholera resurgence, and basic services on the verge of collapse. Over a third urgently need protection, with this number expected to rise if conditions worsen.

International intervention

The nation had sought international intervention to help the Haitian police to restore order in the country.

However, a cloud of uncertainty hangs around the deployment of the Multinational Security Support mission led by Kenyan Police authorised by the UN Security Council last October.

Last week, the High Court in Kenya barred the government from sending a contingent of 1,000 police officers to Haiti to combat gang violence.

Migrants inside a shelter in the San Luis Tlaxialtemalco Forest on May 26, 2023, in Mexico City. (Photo by Gerardo Vieyra/NurPhoto)

Justice Chacha Mwita, in his ruling, termed the deployment of the officers to Haiti as illegal and invalid.

The judge also ruled that the National Security Council, which includes the President, does not have the power to deploy the National Police Service outside of the country.

Defiant President

However, President William Ruto on Tuesday insisted that the Kenyan mission to Haiti was still on despite the court ruling.

The President said Haiti had asked for help months ago, and he expected a request would come shortly that would satisfy the court's demands.

"So that mission can go ahead as soon as next week if all the paperwork is done between Kenya and Haiti on the bilateral route that has been suggested by the court," Ruto said.

He said the discussions were underway with Haiti to get the necessary request.

Haiti's government says it remains hopeful for a "swift and positive outcome," after the court ruling adding that it would "like to thank the many countries that have come forward to offer various types of aid to restore order and security as soon as possible."