Latin America & The Caribbean Weekly Situation Update as of 3 May 2024 – Haiti

KEY FIGURES

787K people face Crisis or Emergency levels of food insecurity in Artibonite, Haiti

351K people affected by flooding in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

4.8M cases of dengue in the region as of epidemiological week 13

HAITI: HUMANITARIAN CRISIS

In Artibonite, the department with the second highest severity of multi-sectoral needs in the country, conditions are rapidly deteriorating. Since the second quarter of 2023, spreading gang violence has led to significant access constraints, particularly in rural areas like Bas Artibonite. In the first months of 2024, almost all humanitarian indicators have worsened in the department. As of March 2024, 787,470 people (53 per cent of the department’s population) face Crisis or Emergency levels of food insecurity, while acute malnutrition is projected to deteriorate from Stressed to Crisis in less than 3 months. Limited access to water, education, markets, and healthcare worsens amidst rising prices and debt. Gender-based violence, exploitation, and forced recruitment exacerbate the protection crisis, highlighting the urgent need for humanitarian intervention.

COLOMBIA: VIOLENCE

In the municipality of Policarpa, Nariño, clashes broke out between the National Army and a non-state armed group (NSAG) with the local community caught in the crossfire. As a result, over 504 farmers and afro-descendants, as well as refugees and migrants from Ecuador and Venezuela have been displaced within the urban area. In addition, approximately 178 people in San Pablo, Santander and La Independencia remain confined due to the violence. Furthermore, approximately 200 people from the Alto Mira and Frontera Community Council in Tumaco were coerced by another NSAG to obstruct the National Army’s access to the territory. This group have also deployed antipersonnel mines in the area, with 34 of them successfully deactivated. Similar events have unfolded in the municipalities of El Charco, Policarpa and Cumbitara, where people who resist compliance are subject to forced displacement, compelled labour or monetary penalties.

REGIONAL: DENGUE

Dengue cases continue to soar across the region, with cases reported in 24 countries. As of epidemiological week 13 in 2024, there have been 4,820,955 suspected cases of dengue. This figure is more than recorded in the entirety of 2023, the previous record year with more than 4.5 million cases and represents a 448 per cent increase compared to the average of the last five years. The most affected countries are in the Southern Cone subregion, including Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina, where the hot and rainy season is conducive to high rates of transmission. In Guatemala, where transmission typically peaks in the second half of the year, the Ministry of Health has declared a national health emergency due to increasing case numbers. As of 20 April, there have been 14,697 reported cases of dengue, 4.8 times more than the 2,537 cases recorded in the same period in 2023.

BRAZIL: FLOODING

Authorities have declared a state of emergency in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul following heavy rainfall that has brought flooding, landslides and the overflow of rivers and dams. As of 3 May, the severe rainfall has affected 351,639 people, leaving 37 people dead, 74 reported missing and 7,949 seeking refuge in shelters. Flooding and landslides have damaged bridges and roads, isolating communities and impeding emergency responses. The Copernicus Emergency Management Service (EMSR) was activated on 3 May to detect flooding following a dam break in the Cotiporã and Bento Gonçalves municipalities. Further rainfall is forecast across the state over the next 72 hours.