Malnutrition Crisis Looms In Haiti Amid Rampant Violence

An alarming surge in armed violence in areas of Haiti is heightening the risk of a malnutrition crisis in the country, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned on Tuesday. Findings from the recent Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis indicate an alarming 19 per cent increase in the number of children estimated to suffer from severe acute malnutrition in Haiti this year. Around 1.64 million people are facing emergency levels of acute food insecurity, (IPC Phase 4), which increases the risk of child wasting and malnutrition. The ongoing armed violence across Artibonite department and the West department, which encompasses Port au Prince, has restricted aid delivery and severely weakened an already fragile healthcare system, posing an imminent threat to the lives of over 125,000 children at risk. “The violence and instability in Haiti have consequences far beyond the risk of the violence itself”, said Catherine Russell, UNICEF Executive Director. The situation is creating a child health and nutrition crisis that could cost the lives of countless of children, she added. ‘Thousands of children on the brink’ “Thousands of children are on the brink, while life-saving supplies are ready to be delivered if violence stops and roads and hospitals are...