Thousands more people could be forced to leave Ecuador and Haiti in 2024 due to humanitarian crises such as intensifying violence, climate impacts and deepening poverty, the International Rescue Committee said in a report on Wednesday.

“Multiple factors…will deteriorate living conditions for millions of people in Ecuador and Haiti, potentially forcing thousands to seek safety elsewhere,” the IRC said.

Last year, more than 57,000 Ecuadoreans and 46,000 Haitians crossed the dangerous jungle region separating Colombia and Panama known as the Darien Gap, a sharp jump from 2022, according to Panama’s migration agency.

“The crises in Haiti and Ecuador are creating a ripple effect across the entire region,” said IRC regional head Julio Rank Wright in a statement.

In Ecuador, conflict between government forces and criminal groups is escalating, the IRC said. Last month, a wave of violence resurged after a gang leader escaped from prison, shown most dramatically when an armed group stormed into a live TV news broadcast.

The country is also likely to see flooding from above-average rainfall caused by the El Nino weather phenomenon in the year, the IRC added, which could erode agricultural areas and increase food insecurity.

Meanwhile, Haiti has been rocked by the rise of gang control over the Caribbean nation in the fall-out after the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021.

Around 200 gangs now operate in the country, with anti-government protests and clashes frequent over the past month, according to a February report by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Crime.

“Without a functioning political system, the government will struggle to address violence and meet growing needs,” the IRC said in the report.

Unelected Prime Minister Ariel Henry has requested support from a UN mission to the country, and although Kenya has offered to lead the force the plan faces constitutional setbacks at home and no date has been set for its deployment.

Food insecurity will likely also deepen in Haiti in 2024, the IRC said.

Gangs have made in-roads in rural areas, with groups invading farmlands, threatening farmers and demanding payment, according to the Global Initiative.

Both countries, the IRC said, are facing gaps in support. It called on world leaders to make “concrete funding commitments” as nearly half of Haiti’s population requires humanitarian aid and with nearly 40 per cent of Ecuadoreans living below the poverty line.

• A Reuters report