Violence in Haiti

Famine deepens in Haiti – millions affected

Nearly six million Haitians – about half the population – are expected to suffer from acute food insecurity in the coming months. This is according to a report from the international body Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), reports Reuters.

The humanitarian crisis in the country continues to deepen as armed gangs expand their control, the economy is squeezed and more and more people are forced to flee. The number of internally displaced people today stands at 1.4 million.

– Fighting hunger is central to restoring stability in Haiti. We cannot build peace if families cannot feed their children, says Wanja Kaaria, Haiti director of the UN World Food Programme (WFP).

Rising oil prices could worsen Haiti's crisis

The new forecast from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) for food insecurity in Haiti is slightly more positive than previous estimates, but the organization warns that the Iran war risks quickly erasing all progress if nothing is done. The AP writes.

"The outbreak of conflict in the Middle East and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz have created enormous disruptions in the global food chain, which is having a direct impact on Haiti," the IPC writes in its report.

Earlier in April, the Haitian government raised the price of kerosene by 40 percent, diesel by 37 percent and gasoline by 29 percent as a result of the Iran war.

On Friday, Iran announced that the Strait of Hormuz would be opened to commercial shipping during the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.