Ravaged by violence and poverty, one of the most beautiful, yet poorest countries in the world clings to the small hope that things might get better. Haiti has become paralyzed as warring groups clash over territory.
ABC News’ Matt Rivers reported from some of the most desperate areas of Haiti, where many live in near-famine conditions.
Gangs have long been an issue in Haiti but after the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021, their power and the accompanying violence has exploded. According to the United Nations, at least 846 civilians were killed in Haiti in the first three months of 2023.
Cité Soleil is a Port-au-Prince neighborhood of hundreds of thousands of people. It’s one of the most desolate slums in the world and the center of a gang war. The gang controlling one particular section allowed ABC News into the neighborhood.
Gonaives is the city at the center of Haiti’s food production with mangoes as their primary crop. But today, the roads in and out of the city are completely controlled by gangs, making it near impossible for produce to reach those who need it most. ABC News met a group of women who were kidnapped while trying to bring goods to sell at the market.
The chaos and violence has driven record levels of migration, with hundreds of thousands of Haitians leaving. Ile Tortue, or Turtle Island, has become home to an industry of human smuggling, where would-be migrants can pay thousands of dollars in the hopes of a better life in the United States.