The gang violence that devour her Haiti led to the increase, by 30% within a year, of child malnutritionaccording to her estimates Unicef which warns that the lives of more than 100,000 children in this country are at risk.

“Armed violence has increased the number of children who are severely malnourished, a condition called acute dehydration, which has shot up by 30% compared to 2022,” this UN agency said.

Unicef ​​estimates that 115,600 children will suffer from this deadly form of malnutrition this year, one of the most serious threats to their survival. Last year this number was estimated at 87,500.

“In Haiti, more and more mothers and fathers no longer have the means to provide proper care and food for their children, and parents cannot take them to health centers because the violence of armed groups has increased tremendously,” complained head of Unicef ​​in that country, Bruno Maes. “Combined with the cholera epidemic, more and more children will suffer from severe dehydration and die if urgent measures are not taken,” he underlined.

Cholera re-emerged in Haiti last October and since then more than 41,000 suspected cases have been recorded. Almost half involved children under the age of 14.

Under these circumstances, Unicef ​​”urgently needs” $17 million to identify cases of severe malnutrition and provide children with the care and nutrition they need. The lack of funding could put the lives of more than 100,000 children at risk, the agency said, noting that children living in the capital, Port-au-Prince, are most at risk.

Nearly one in four children in Haiti suffers from chronic malnutrition, a condition that has long-term consequences for their physical and mental development.

More than 600 people were killed in the suburbs of Port-au-Prince in April alone in a new wave of “extreme violence”, according to the UN, which is pressing for an international force to help local police tackle gangs. .