UN warns millions in Haiti facing acute hunger

A man walks past burning tyres set up by protesters demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry (Odelyn Joseph/AP)

A record 4.7 million people in Haiti are facing acute hunger, including 19,000 in catastrophic famine conditions for the first time, all in slums controlled by gangs in the capital, according to a UN report.

The World Food Programme and Food and Agriculture Organisation said unrelenting crises have trapped Haitians “in a cycle of growing desperation, without access to food, fuel, markets, jobs and public services, bringing the country to a standstill”.