UNITED NATIONS, March 5 (Xinhua) -- The recent escalation of violence in several Port-au-Prince neighborhoods has displaced 15,000 people, most of them previously displaced from their homes, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.

They are just a few of the 5.5 million people, nearly half of the country's population, in Haiti needing humanitarian assistance, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said.

"Despite the security constraints, our humanitarian partners on the ground have begun to respond by providing food, hygiene and health kits, mattresses, blankets, sheets; and lamps," OCHA said.

The office said the World Food Programme and its partners reported delivering 5,500 hot meals to 3,000 people living in the three new displacement sites. At the same time, the International Organization for Migration also started distributing emergency shelter materials to more than 300 families.

"The humanitarian community in Haiti calls on all parties to put an immediate stop to the violence, to allow safe access to the people in need and to respect human rights, humanitarian norms and standards," OCHA said.

The office said this year's Humanitarian Response Plan for Haiti, calling for 674 million U.S. dollars, is only 2.5 percent funded. Enditem

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