Displaying items by tag: displaced people

Haiti’s international airport has closed for the second time this year after suspected gang gunfire struck two US passenger planes. The UN has also paused helicopter landings, while the US embassy has warned citizens to avoid travel within the country due to unpredictable violence. Haiti’s instability, driven by rampant gang violence, has displaced over 700,000 people and claimed nearly 4,000 lives this year. Further evidence of the country’s fragility came with the ousting on 11 November of interim prime minister Garry Conille, who has been replaced by businessman Alix Didier Fils-Aimé. Many key transportation routes remain under the control of gangs who regularly kidnap bus passengers and truck drivers: many Port-au-Prince residents have no safe way out of the city. In October almost a hundred people were killed in a massacre by gang members sixty miles from the capital.

A new report by Oxfam reveals that hunger caused by global conflicts has reached unprecedented levels, with an estimated 7,000 to 21,000 people dying every day. The report, Food Wars, shows that nearly all of the 281.6 million people facing acute hunger live in countries experiencing conflict. Oxfam accuses warring parties of weaponising food, targeting vital infrastructure, and blocking aid deliveries. Conflict also drives record-high displacement, with 117 million people forcibly displaced. In areas like Sudan and Gaza, food aid is critically limited, exacerbating starvation. Oxfam points to the economic liberalisation model (focused on foreign investment and exports) as a key factor worsening inequality and instability in these regions. In particular, extractive industries, like mining in Sudan, have displaced people and degraded environments, creating unlivable conditions. The report calls on global leaders to address the root causes of this problem, and to hold perpetrators of ‘starvation crimes’ accountable under international law.

Amid escalating violence between Hezbollah and Israel, thousands of families in southern Lebanon, including many Christians, have fled their homes. As they move north, local churches have opened their doors, providing shelter, food, and medical supplies. Church leaders have stressed their commitment to helping all affected, regardless of denomination, showing God's love through practical support. Despite the challenges and fear brought by Israeli airstrikes, Lebanese Christians see this as an opportunity to reflect Christ’s love. Leaders of the Kurdish Church and the Evangelical Presbyterian Church are among those leading relief efforts, with church members also welcoming families into their homes. SAT-7 continues to broadcast live, bringing messages of hope amid the chaos. As many as 200,000 people have been displaced, and church leaders ask for prayers for peace and strength during these difficult times. Breaking news: an Israeli airstrike on Beirut has killed at least 22 people.

The UN has announced the delivery of aid to Haiti, which will help hundreds of displaced families due to the ongoing violence and the upcoming hurricane season. A spokesman said, ‘Two cargo flights organised by the World Food Programme (WFP) have landed in Port au Prince, carrying 55 tonnes of medicine, shelter and hygiene materials. The WFP school meals programme has distributed some 30 million meals across the country since the start of the current school year: of these, nearly 17 million have been provided through its programme which supports local farmers. The education sector has been severely impacted by the recent violence, with more than 200,000 children and 4000 teachers affected.’ Haiti’s hurricane season, which lasts from June to November, is forecast to be severe this year. A gang-fuelled crisis has devastated the country, and the UN estimates that currently 360,000 people are displaced.

Massive floods have devastated a state in the south of Brazil, resulting in at least 75 deaths and 103 people missing. Over 88,000 residents have been displaced; 16,000 have sought refuge in schools and temporary shelters. The floods have caused extensive damage and significant disruptions to electricity and communications. Over 800,000 people are currently without a water supply. The state’s governor, calling the devastation unprecedented, has called for a comprehensive reconstruction plan, while President Lula has emphasised the importance of proactive disaster management. This environmental disaster is the fourth major flooding event in the state within eight months.

Heavy flooding in Kenya, after weeks of intense rain and flash floods, has left at least 103 people missing, with 71 confirmed dead. Most of the missing are from Mai Mahiu, near Nairobi, where on 29 April flooding near a railway bridge, caused by a clogged tunnel, caused at least 45 deaths. The country’s president William Ruto has ordered the military to help search and rescue efforts. Nearly 191,000 Kenyans have been displaced by the floods, which are said to have been exacerbated by the effects of El Niño. The government has established 52 displacement camps to provide temporary shelter, but with more rain forecast the situation may worsen. The floods have affected other countries: a week ago, Tanzania’s president said that 155 people had been killed and 200,000 displaced. See

Consuelo Manyoma, a resident of San Isidro, waits anxiously for the time when her family can safely return home. Located along a strategic corridor for the cocaine trade, the village frequently experiences gunfire and threats. Two years ago, Manyoma's family and others fled, seeking refuge in Buenaventura. They are now in makeshift accommodation in a huge basketball stadium, enduring uncertainty and longing for peace. The country’s conflict, a bloody war between paramilitary groups, rebel militias, drug traffickers, and the army, has displaced 6.8 million people - one of the world's largest internally displaced populations.  In another development, former president Alvaro Uribe is to face criminal charges for alleged links to some of the paramilitary groups: see

Cyclone Mocha tore through Myanmar last week with 175 mph winds, making it the strongest cyclone on record in the North Indian Ocean. It ripped trees and crushed homes, killing dozens and doing the most damage in fragile Rohingya refugee camps. Pray for the million displaced Rohingya people in these camps who are trying to rebuild their destroyed communities while suffocating in a cloud of fear of the ruling military junta and genocidal attacks. The dominant religions in these camps are Buddhism and Islam, but they both fail to provide lasting comfort for the fearful. Yet there is good news. The Church in Myanmar is growing, and the Gospel is spreading through faithful believers and Christian radio. 83.4% of the population are in unreached people groups.

More than 14 million people are thought to have fled their homes since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the UN says. More than six million have left for neighbouring countries, while eight million people are displaced inside the war-torn country itself. The EU has granted Ukrainians the right to stay and work throughout its 27 member nations for up to three years. The UN says that as of 24 May, 2.1 million Ukrainians have returned to Ukraine. Some are returning to areas such as the capital Kyiv, which is now considered safer. Kyiv's mayor, Vitali Klitschko, says the city's population is back to two-thirds of its pre-war level.' More than 60,000 Ukrainians have arrived in the UK, after fleeing the Russian invasion. Some have travelled on family visas, while others have come via a sponsorship scheme which lets unrelated people host an individual or group.

After almost a week of walking and sleeping rough, three young men arrived at Nacaca, a displacement camp in Cabo Delgado province. They fled as far as they could get from the gunmen who attacked their village. A jihadist conflict has shaken Cabo Delgado for five years; al-Shabab has routed an under-equipped army, decapitated civilians, abducted young men, and enslaved women. Last June a coalition of southern African countries scattered the insurgents, but now al-Shabaab units are re-terrorising communities. They have depopulated northern Cabo Delgado, with at least 730,000 people (1/3rd of the population) fleeing to safer southern districts. The uprising began in 2017 but its origins go deeper, growing out of fury over state corruption and opposition to establishment Islam. The displaced are settling in a poor region. The chance of these former farmers and fishermen finding work are slim. The World Food Programme is only able to deliver half rations to camps and registered displaced living in communities.