Displaced Persons Camps: A Call for a More Humane Response

PORT-AU-PRINCE.__ Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé met this Tuesday, April 8, 2025, with representatives from several internal displaced persons camps. Fils-Aimé wanted to inquire further about the living conditions of IDPs and express his government's solidarity, according to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office.

This meeting, held with the participation of the ministers of Public Health and Population, Social Affairs and Labor, the delegate to the Prime Minister responsible for Solidarity and Humanitarian Affairs, as well as the general directors of the Economic and Social Assistance Fund (FAES) and the National Directorate of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DINEPA), was an opportunity for these authorities to affirm their commitment to these victims of the escalation of armed violence in the capital.

Representatives of the internal displaced persons camps took the opportunity to share the various needs of tens of thousands of people who have been forced to live in subhuman conditions, far from their homes. For the displaced, humanitarian actions must be taken urgently to prevent a more serious situation in the sites.

In this regard, the Prime Minister's message is clear: «The State will not abandon you», urging his team members to fully assume their responsibilities. Alix Didier Fils-Aimé also appealed for national solidarity. «Institutions, citizens, and camp representatives: we must unite our efforts to improve the daily lives of the displaced”, he insisted.

Among the concerns of the displaced, access to drinking water, pediatric care, sanitation, the distribution of hygiene kits, and strengthening security are priorities.

But beyond the necessary emergency interventions, authorities must work towards a return to normalcy to allow the displaced to return to their respective neighborhoods, occupied by gangs. In short, the State must reclaim lost territories for the country to return to life with a more humane situation.