Haiti. Residents of Port-au-Prince are fleeing from gangs

On Thursday, the UN's International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that over 10,000 Haitians fled their homes last week for fear of armed gangs operating in the capital Port-au-Prince and its surroundings.

On Monday, police clashed with armed criminals who were trying to take control of one of the few Port-au-Prince neighborhoods not yet under gang control.

At the beginning of September, there were over 700,000 internally displaced persons in Haiti. people, almost twice as many as half a year earlier. An internal refugee is considered to be a person who is forced to leave his place of residence but does not cross the border recognized as international.

SEE ALSO: Haitian authorities extend the state of emergency to the entire territory of the country

Gangs currently control about 80 percent. Port-au-Prince. As a result of the actions of criminals, thousands of people were killed and over half a million had to leave their homes.

Two formerly feuding criminal groups formed an alliance last year and began to expand their influence. They focus on fighting government forces, terrorize civilians and plunge the country into an economic, political and humanitarian crisis.

In March, Haiti's Western Department, home to Port-au-Prince, declared a state of emergency in response to escalating gang violence and two mass prison breaks that left thousands of convicted criminals free. In September, Haitian authorities extended the state of emergency to the entire territory of the country.

As part of the project implemented under the aegis of UN 400 police officers arrived in Haiti during the summer security mission Kenya. Several other countries also promised military and police reinforcements totaling over two thousand uniformed personnel.