PORT-AU-PRINCE: Several thousand Haitians have fled their homes since the start of the year as gang violence besets the capital Port-au-Prince, with activists worrying that tensions will increase in the coming months.
"Will there be an increase in this violence that will result in even more displacement in the next weeks or months?" Bruno Lemarquis, UN humanitarian coordinator in Haiti, said.
"That is the biggest question."
Nearly 10,000 inhabitants of disadvantaged neighborhoods in the city have left their homes due to the violence or because of fires -- the origins of which are still unknown -- according to a United Nations count.
Many residents of the Martissant neighborhood -- the scene of the latest gang clashes -- fled last week.
Videos posted on social media show crowds rushing from the area while gunshots are heard in the background.
According to Unicef representative in Haiti Bruno Maes, 1,120 people, including 450 children and 600 vulnerable women and girls, are staying in a sports center gymnasium in nearby Carrefour.
"Nearly 100 of these households saw their homes go up in flames," he said. "They barely had time to leave and take some of their things, sometimes not even their shoes."
Humanitarian aid had to be flown to Carrefour from Port-au-Prince by helicopter as gangs control the road that runs through Martissant.
"These 1,120 people are only the tip of the iceberg," Maes said. "There are thousands of other displaced people who have also found refuge with families in Carrefour or in other areas of the country."
"The children are exposed to illnesses. They have already missed out on a week of classes and those who have their year-end exams this week won't be able to take them," Maes said.
Martissant is controled by armed gangs despite being located only a few hundred meters from the presidential palace.
An official toll of recent violence is not yet available, but a UN statement Sunday referenced "several deaths and injuries." -- AFP