UN Security Council renews Haiti sanctions amid escalating gang violence

UNITED NATIONS (CMC) — The United Nations (UN) Security Council has renewed sanctions against individuals and groups fuelling gang violence in Haiti, extending measures aimed at disrupting the flow of illegal weapons and financing to criminal networks. The council on Wednesday extended the mandate of its Haiti sanctions committee by 13 months, maintaining an arms embargo, travel ban and asset freeze targeting those responsible for threatening the country’s peace, security and stability. Nine individuals and two groups are currently subject to UN sanctions. The renewal comes amid worsening insecurity in Haiti, where armed gangs control large sections of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and have expanded into rural communities, carrying out killings, kidnappings, sexual violence and extortion. According to the UN, approximately 1.5 million people, or 12 per cent of the population, have been displaced by the violence. More than 3,000 people were killed and over 1,500 injured between October 2025 and April 2026. The UN also reported that more than 2,400 survivors of sexual violence received treatment in Port-au-Prince between January and May, with women and girls accounting for most cases. Sixteen per cent of survivors were minors. Despite producing no firearms or ammunition domestically, Haiti continues to face a steady influx of illegal weapons. The UN estimates that between 270,000 and 500,000 illicit firearms are circulating in the country. A panel of independent experts monitoring sanctions violations has warned that the arms embargo is routinely breached, while weaknesses in weapons tracking and corruption have contributed to the diversion of firearms from national stockpiles. The panel also identified shortcomings in enforcing financial sanctions, reporting that only two sanctioned individuals had bank accounts frozen, involving relatively small sums. It warned that targeting gang leaders alone would be insufficient without dismantling the political, economic and security networks supporting them. Haiti welcomed the sanctions renewal but cautioned that the measures alone would not restore stability. Speaking after the adoption of the resolution, United States representative Jennifer Locetta reaffirmed Washington’s support for international efforts to restore security in Haiti. She clarified that the arms embargo does not prevent weapons, equipment or related assistance from being supplied to the Haitian Government for peace and security purposes. Locetta also urged international support for Haiti’s National Commission for Disarmament, Dismantlement and Reintegration, describing it as essential to tackling armed gangs. The United States further called on Haitian authorities to regulate the harvesting and trade of baby eels, known as elvers, warning that illegal exploitation of the resource was financing criminal networks. Locetta said the sanctions formed part of broader international efforts to restore peace and stability in Haiti and the wider Caribbean.