Soaring fuel prices driven by Iran war threaten to deepen Haiti hunger

The Middle East conflict and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz have disrupted global food systems and driven up fuel costs in Haiti, where the government raised kerosene prices by 40%, diesel by 37%, and gasoline by 29% in early April — increases the report warns will raise food costs and hobble transportation across a country already paralyzed by gang violence that has displaced a record 1.4 million people.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — More than 5.83 million Haitians are expected to face acute levels of hunger between March and June, according to an international food-security report released Thursday, but officials warn that modest recent gains may soon be reversed by fuel price increases driven by the war in Iran.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification — the leading international authority on hunger crises — said the figure represents a slight decline from a previous estimate of 5.91 million, or more than half of Haiti’s population. The number of Haitians facing emergency-level hunger also fell slightly, to nearly 1.9 million from a projected 2 million.

The report credited a drop in Haiti’s inflation rate from 32% to 22%, a generally favorable winter growing season, and improved road access in some areas for the marginal improvement. But it called those gains “insufficient” to reverse an overall trend of acute food insecurity.

Iran war adds fresh pressure

The report identified the Middle East conflict as a compounding threat to the fragile progress. “The outbreak of the conflict in the Middle East and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz have caused a major disruption to the global food system with direct implications for Haiti,” the IPC said.

Haiti’s government raised the price per gallon of kerosene by 40%, diesel by 37%, and gasoline by 29% in early April, citing the ongoing war’s effect on global oil markets. The report warned that higher fuel prices would push up transportation costs and food prices across the country.

Gang violence drives displacement and hunger

Armed groups remain a central driver of the crisis. The report said “violence continues to suffocate the Haitian economy and limit the transportation of goods and the movement of people, with many of the most vulnerable people forced to join armed actors in order to feed their families.”

Gang violence has displaced a record 1.4 million people across Haiti. The IPC found that 70% of people living in displacement sites are experiencing high levels of food insecurity.

Police said 72% of Port-au-Prince is now controlled by gangs, down from an estimated 90%. The bulk of those at emergency hunger levels live in Haiti’s northwest region, including the Artibonite, which armed groups have attacked in recent years, razing communities and destroying farmland.

Voices from a shelter

At a crowded shelter occupying a former school in Port-au-Prince, Feguens Jean, 25, said he relies on selling used sneakers to feed himself and his family, but bad weather on Thursday kept him indoors.

“If I don’t sell, I don’t eat, which means today, what I have is very little to eat,” said Jean, who was studying to be a carpenter before gang violence forced him to become a street vendor.

Antony Joassainte, 40, a mason and plumber who also lives at the shelter, said construction work has dried up.

“Nobody is building anything,” said Joassainte, the father of two children, ages 11 and 13. “I find myself having to feed a family with nothing.”

The family relies on bread because it is cheaper, he said, and manages “one strong meal if we can; that might be rice and beans.”

Bernadette Toussaint, 37, sells rice, beans, and chicken sauce but said soaring oil prices have forced cutbacks.

“I cannot provide what I used to for my kids,” she said.

Official response

Wanja Kaaria, the World Food Program’s country director and representative in Haiti, said the hunger crisis and the security crisis are inseparable. “Fighting hunger is essential to restoring stability in Haiti. We cannot build peace if families cannot feed their children,” Kaaria said.

Marcelin Aubourg, Haiti’s agriculture minister, said the government plans to strengthen its response through an upcoming World Bank-backed plan to address food crises. He said agriculture is “a key solution to improving the situation” and that the government should support local producers.