NZNTV

Port-au-Prince, 30 April 2025 – The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is urgently scaling up its humanitarian response in the border towns of Belladère and Ouanaminthe amid a sharp rise in deportations by land, with about 20,000 vulnerable Haitians returned in April — the highest monthly figure recorded this year.  

« The situation in Haiti is becoming increasingly dire. Each day, deportations and gang violence worsen an already fragile situation, » said IOM Director General Amy Pope. « Support from donors and the international community has helped strengthen the humanitarian lifeline, but far more is needed, as the number of vulnerable people continues to grow. »   

Especially alarming is marked increase in the number of highly vulnerable people – including women, children, and newborns – being forcibly returned. At the Belladère and Ouanaminthe border crossings, IOM, in collaboration with the National Office for Migration (ONM) and other state agencies, has been helping an average of 15 pregnant women and 15 lactating mothers per day just since 22 April. In total, 3,500 deportees have received help since 22 April.   

These deportations coincide with a separate humanitarian emergency in the Centre department. Gang violence that erupted in late March in Mirebalais and Saut d’Eau has displaced more than 51,000 people, according to the latest IOM displacement tracking data. Most have sought refuge with host families, while more than 12,500 are sheltering in 95 newly established spontaneous displacement sites, with limited access to basic services. In Belladère alone, over 4,000 displaced people found refuge.  

Gang control over Mirebalais has effectively severed Belladère from the rest of the country, blocking safe access for humanitarian staff, medical supplies, and aid. This isolation is compounding already dire conditions for deportees and displaced populations alike, who remain unable to reach their hometowns. Basic items, including food, water, and medical supplies, are running low.  

« This is a compounded crisis spreading beyond the capital, with cross-border expulsions and internal displacement converging in places like Belladère, » said Grégoire Goodstein, IOM Chief of Mission in Haiti. « Delivering assistance is becoming increasingly difficult as humanitarian actors find themselves trapped alongside the very people they are trying to help. »  

IOM, in coordination with the General Directorate for Civil Protection (DGPC) is responding with expanded life-saving support. This includes the provision of safe drinking water, and hygiene kits tailored to women’s and children’s needs. First aid, medical referrals, and psychosocial support are being made available for the most vulnerable. Temporary shelter arrangements have also been established, such as hotel accommodation for lactating mothers. Furthermore, IOM is closely coordinating with ONM and the Ministry of Public Health to ensure newborns and mothers receive immediate health support and vaccination.