© Reuters. Former police officer Jimmy “Barbecue” Cherizier (not pictured), chief of the ‘G9’ coalition, is accompanied by Safety throughout a march towards Haiti’s Prime Minister Ariel Henry, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti September 19, 2023. REUTERS/Ralph Tedy Erol/File
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PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) -The United Nations Safety Council on Friday mentioned it had authorised the addition of 4 suspected Haitian gang leaders to its sanctions checklist, a long-awaited addition because the Caribbean nation faces a worsening humanitarian disaster.
The U.N. slapped sanctions on Renel Destina, believed to be the primary chief of the Grand Ravine gang; in addition to Vitel’homme Harmless, understood to go the Kraze Barye gang; Johnson Andre of 5 Segond; and Wilson Joseph of 400 Mawozo.
The U.S. Treasury Division earlier on Friday introduced recent sanctions towards the identical 4 people.
Survivors have recognized Andre and his gang as straight chargeable for 1,035 instances of sexual violence in 2022 alone, the Treasury Division mentioned in an announcement.
The Treasury mentioned Destina, a key ally of Andre, was chargeable for killings, robberies, rapes, looting and burning down houses, and has additionally been indicted for kidnapping U.S. residents in 2021.
Joseph and Harmless are each indicted for roles within the kidnapping of U.S. residents in October final 12 months, it added.
“Criminal gangs now reportedly control approximately 80% of (Haiti’s capital) Port-au-Prince,” the Treasury mentioned in an announcement. “Kidnapping, rape, robbery, murder and sexual violence are daily threats for Haitians, including children.”
Rights teams have in the meantime referred to as for sanctions to focus on these funding the gangs and for a clampdown on arms trafficking, believed to return largely from small-scale traffickers transport weapons and ammunition from Florida.
The battle has displaced tens of 1000’s and unfold to farmlands north of the capital, additional threatening meals provides in a rustic the place the U.N. estimated near half of the inhabitants goes hungry.
The U.N. sanctions announcement comes because it calls on international locations to volunteer troops for a multinational safety mission to assist nationwide police combat the gangs which have expanded their management over a lot of the Haitian territory.
Beforehand, the worldwide physique had solely sanctioned one Haitian: Jimmy Cherizier, a former police officer and chief of the G9 Alliance, which competes with the G-Pep alliance for management over swathes of Port-au-Prince.
