By Milo Milfort <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Port-au-Prince (EFE).- Armed gangs have cut off access to food for thousands of people in Haiti\u2019s central Artibonite region, forcing families into displacement camps where they rely on daily distributions for survival, aid workers and residents said Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn some cases, when I don\u2019t get the food they distribute, I leave without eating,\u201d said Fleuranta Ciln\u00e9, a displaced woman attending a food handout in Petite Rivi\u00e8re de l\u2019Artibonite (rural Haiti), a town once known for its rice fields but now plagued by violence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Over recent months, heavily armed groups have seized control of farming areas in Artibonite, displacing thousands of farmers and residents. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI lost everything; the gangs took it all,\u201d Clin\u00e9 added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many now live in camps without basic services such as water, healthcare, or electricity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe situation of the country forces me to come here for food, but also the lack of economic means,\u201d Ciln\u00e9 told EFE, recalling that she was expelled from her home in Verrettes by gangs.<\/p>\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/pre.efe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-155-1024x683.webp\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nThe food distributions, where sticky rice with meat sauce is handed out, have become tense gatherings with people jostling and children crying. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
At least 5.7 million Haitians are facing food insecurity, a \u201chistoric record,\u201d according to the National Food Security Coordination (CNSA). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rising unemployment, inflation, and gang control of key roads have made access to food increasingly difficult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Artibonite, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) north of Port-au-Prince, is one of the country\u2019s most fertile regions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today, many fields lie abandoned as families flee to urban centers or displacement sites. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis is how I sleep,\u201d said Ciln\u00e9, showing the conditions of her shelter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Suffering from a stomach ulcer and unable to afford school fees for her two teenage children, she added: \u201cI depend on one hot meal a day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite the presence of the UN-backed Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) and local police, gangs continue to expand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The region has also seen the rise of more than 20 self-defense groups formed since 2017 to counter escalating violence. <\/p>\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/pre.efe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-152-1024x683.webp\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/pre.efe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-154-1024x683.webp\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n