Port-au-Prince, Haiti — For a factory worker in Haiti, the war in remote Iran means he now must walk two hours to work and walk the same distance home each day, because he can no longer afford public transportation.
On a recent morning, 35-year-old Alexandre Joseph worried about his family’s future in a loud voice, attracting the attention of passersby in Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital.
“The government increased the prices of gasoline, diesel and kerosene, which affected my family. Now I am unable to support my two children with my salary,” he said.
conflict in iran caused a decline in oil prices haiti surge, disrupting vital supply chains, doubling transportation costs and forcing millions of undernourished people to cut back on already scarce food.
Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, has been hit hardest by rising oil prices, with experts warning that prices will sink even deeper. a growing humanitarian crisis.
On April 2, the government of Haiti announced a 37% increase in the price of diesel and a 29% increase in the price of gasoline.
“The consequences are huge,” said Erwan Roumen, deputy country director for the U.N. World Food Program in Haiti. “This is one of the most fragile countries in the world.”
Nearly half of Haiti’s population of approximately 12 million already faces high levels of acute food insecurity. Rumen said nearly 200,000 people moved from the emergency phase to the serious phase in recent months, an important milestone.
“It’s a little scary to see that so much effort can basically be destroyed by things that are completely out of our control,” he said. “This part of the population is extremely fragile. They are on the verge of complete collapse.”
Gang violence has increased hunger, with armed men taking control of major roads and disrupting the transport of goods. Rising food prices will worsen hunger in a country where gangs easily recruit children whose families need food and money.
Emmeline Toussaint, chief coordinator of the BND school-feeding program Marie’s Meals in Haiti, said gas stations in some areas are selling 25% to 30% more fuel than the limit set by the government because of gang violence and difficulties with trucks trying to reach certain areas.
He said the US-based nonprofit is forced to use boats and take long and numerous roads to feed its 196,000 children in Haiti to avoid armed groups.
“The humanitarian crisis we are facing right now is at its worst,” he said. “So far, we are doing our best not to fall behind. Now, more than ever, children need us. … Most of them, this is the only food they get.”
Fedline Jean-Pierre, a soft-spoken mother of a 7-year-old boy, sat under the shade of a tattered beach umbrella contemplating raising the prices of carrots, tomatoes and other produce sold at an outdoor market in Port-au-Prince.
“People are not buying anymore because they don’t have money,” he said, noting that they will have no choice but to raise prices to survive. “I have to feed a baby.”
The 35-year-old mother said she and her son have been living here for two years cramped and unsanitary shelterShe is one of a record 1.4 million Haitians displaced by mass violence in recent years.
“The government doesn’t do anything for me,” he said. “Gas is up right now, which means everything will go up.”
Street vendor Maxime Pollard buys charcoal from suppliers to resell at a higher price. Sometimes he sells two bags of charcoal a day, but he thinks that soon he will be able to buy only half a bag to resell.
“Travel is expensive; food is expensive; everything is expensive,” he said. “I’m not sure if I’ll be able to achieve anything more than that.”
According to the World Bank, nearly 40% of Haitians are living on less than $2.15 a day. Meanwhile, Haiti’s economy shrank for the seventh consecutive year, with inflation reaching 32% at the end of fiscal year 2025.
Factory worker Joseph said he plans to sell soft drinks outside his house at night to earn more money, but even so, it won’t be enough: “We’re also going to have to reduce our normal eating habits.”
On April 6, Haitians dragged burning tires and other debris to block roads and protest rising fuel prices in Port-au-Prince, an estimated 90% of which is controlled by gangs.
Local media reported the shooting as some Haitians forced drivers of small colorful buses, known as tap-taps, to offload their passengers.
Tap-Tap driver Marc Jean-Louis, 29, said passengers are increasingly changing fares, but he can’t afford to discount.
“All the money is going towards gas,” he said and called on the government to lower prices “so everyone can breathe.”
Haitians fear more violence as poverty and hunger deepen in the country.
Rumen, with the U.N.’s World Food Program, said they have been unable to reach 60,000 people in Haiti’s central region who are waiting for aid. a powerful gang recently attacked areaAccording to the United Nations, more than 70 people died
“Our needs will be greater and our resources will be less,” he warned.
Alan Joseph, program manager for Mercy Corps in Haiti, said rising oil prices were crushing the country’s fragile economy: “Families who already spend most of their income on food will face an impossible tradeoff.”
He warned that the increase would affect access to basic services, including potable water.
“This is not abstract inflation,” he warned. “This will have a direct impact on survival.”
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Cotto reported from San Juan, Puerto Rico.
