UN Confirms 1.5M Haitians Displaced; 2026 Humanitarian Response Plan Only 23% Funded as GSF Launches Full Operations in 3 Days

A United Nations report published May 29, 2026 confirmed that approximately 1.5 million Haitians are now internally displaced — one of the highest IDP rates anywhere in the Western Hemisphere — as the country's 2026 Humanitarian Response Plan remains just 23% funded, with only $198.7 million secured of the $880 million needed. The Port-au-Prince metropolitan area has crossed 300,000 internally displaced persons for the first time, driven by the wave of gang-on-gang clashes across Cité Soleil, Croix-des-Bouquets, and the Cul-de-Sac Plain since May 10. Approximately 95,000 people were newly displaced between December 2025 and May 2026 per IOM tracking. The UN data emerges three days before the Gang Suppression Force is scheduled to launch full operations on June 1, 2026 — with its advance contingent of approximately 800 personnel accounting for less than 15% of the 5,500-person authorized ceiling. MSF's Cité Soleil hospital simultaneously enters its 20th consecutive day of forced closure on May 29, leaving approximately 300,000 commune residents without emergency medical access. Humanitarian organizations warn that without a dramatic increase in GSF deployment and operational reach — particularly into Cité Soleil, Martissant, and the Artibonite — gang violence will continue to drive displacement and prevent safe delivery of assistance. The funding gap has been deepened by USAID budget cuts under the current US administration. WFP, which needs $332 million of the $880 million total, faces severe constraints in reaching the 6.4 million Haitians in acute food insecurity, including 600,000+ in IPC Phase 5 (Catastrophe/near-famine conditions). Nine WFP-supported schools serving approximately 12,000 students have suspended meal distributions as a result of the displacement surge.