(MENAFN) Officials in Haiti have warned of "new degrees of despair" as numerous crises have been exacerbated by recent riots, looting of millions of dollars in humanitarian goods, and an ongoing "siege" of a critical petroleum facility.
Talking to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Monday, Haiti’s envoy, Helen La Lime cautioned that “an economic crisis, a gang crisis and a political crisis have converged into a humanitarian catastrophe”.
The situation has deteriorated as a result of widespread theft and riots in the aftermath of Prime Minister Ariel Henry's announcement of gasoline price increases on September 11.
According to Le Lime, around 4.9 million Haitians were already in need of humanitarian assistance before to the ongoing turmoil.
“In the last two weeks alone, attacks on WFP (World Food Programme) have resulted in the loss of some 2,000 tons of food aid valued at close to $5m, that would have collectively supported up to 200,000 of the most vulnerable Haitians over the next month,” she asserted.
Lime claimed the Varreux petroleum station in Port au Prince has been under "siege" for more than a week, with criminal gangs digging ditches and blocking roads with fuel containers around the site.
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