New report: A record 4.7 million Haitians face acute hunger

By EDITH M. LEDERER
Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — A new report says a record 4.7 million people in Haiti are facing acute hunger, including 19,000 in catastrophic famine conditions for the first time, all in a slum controlled by gangs in the capital of Port-Au-Prince. The U.N. World Food Program and Food and Agriculture Organization say unrelenting crises have trapped Haitians “in a cycle of growing desperation, without access to food, fuel, markets, jobs and public services, bringing the country to a standstill.” The analysis released Friday by a global partnership of 15 U.N. agencies and international humanitarian organizations paints a grim picture of escalating hunger in Haiti.