Fleeing Solino or Elsewhere: The Slow Agony of Internally Displaced People in Haiti

Martissant, Pernier, Carrefour, Port-au-Prince, Gressier—the list of areas controlled by gangs continues to grow. In mid-November, Solino, once a lively neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, became the latest to fall into the category of lost territories. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), more than 700,000 Haitians have been forced to flee their homes, a situation that particularly affects children, who represent more than half of the displaced population. In a context of extreme precarity, these internally displaced persons (IDPs) face a daily struggle for survival, largely forgotten by the authorities.

Esther Kimberly Bazile
Par Esther Kimberly Bazile
04 Dec 2024 | Lecture : 3 min.

At the premises of the Office of Civil Protection (OPC) in Bourdon, the urgency of the situation is palpable. Once shared with the Faculty of Law and Economics, this space has now become a refuge for hundreds of displaced persons. The crowded, chaotic courtyard reflects a life suspended between hope and despair. Children play in the narrow spaces of an area too small for them, while others huddle together, trying to escape the monotony of camp life. Nearby, a young man gathers dry leaves to roll a joint.

The adults, meanwhile, stri

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