UN Security Council renews Haiti sanctions amid worsening gang violence
UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe The UN Security Council meets to discuss Haiti and renews sanctions.
Key Points(5)
- The United Nations Security Council has renewed sanctions targeting individuals and groups threatening Haiti’s peace and security, as armed gangs continue to expand their control and illicit firearms fuel violence across the country.
- The council renewed the measures on Wednesday, extending the work of its Haiti sanctions committee by 13 months.
- The sanctions are intended to disrupt weapons supplies, restrict the movement of designated individuals and freeze assets linked to gang violence and other activities undermining Haiti’s stability.
- Haiti is facing one of the world’s most severe security crises, with armed gangs controlling large parts of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and expanding into rural communities.
- The groups have been linked to killings, rape and other sexual violence, kidnappings for ransom and extortion.
The United Nations Security Council has renewed sanctions targeting individuals and groups threatening Haiti’s peace and security, as armed gangs continue to expand their control and illicit firearms fuel violence across the country.
The council renewed the measures on Wednesday, extending the work of its Haiti sanctions committee by 13 months. The sanctions are intended to disrupt weapons supplies, restrict the movement of designated individuals and freeze assets linked to gang violence and other activities undermining Haiti’s stability.
Haiti is facing one of the world’s most severe security crises, with armed gangs controlling large parts of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and expanding into rural communities. The groups have been linked to killings, rape and other sexual violence, kidnappings for ransom and extortion.
About 1.5 million people, or roughly 12% of Haiti’s population, have been displaced from their homes.
How the sanctions work
Established by the Security Council in 2022, the Haiti sanctions committee oversees three main measures: an arms embargo, a travel ban and an asset freeze.
The arms embargo targets the flow of weapons and ammunition to armed groups, while the travel ban and asset freeze apply to individuals and entities designated for contributing to insecurity and gang violence. Nine individuals and two groups are currently subject to Security Council sanctions.
Enforcement relies largely on national authorities, including governments, law enforcement agencies, border officials and financial institutions.
Haitian authorities have recently intercepted several illicit shipments at ports, while US authorities have seized firearms and ammunition destined for Haiti and pursued trafficking investigations. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime also supports regional efforts to combat illicit trafficking.
However, the continued circulation of illegal weapons has undermined efforts to contain the violence.
According to figures released by the UN human rights office last year, an estimated 270,000 to 500,000 illegal firearms are in circulation in Haiti, which does not manufacture its own guns or ammunition.
The Security Council’s independent panel of experts on Haiti reported that the arms embargo is violated regularly.
Violence continues despite sanctions
The scale of the crisis remains severe. More than 3,000 people were killed and over 1,500 injured between October 2025 and April 2026.
A UN partner also reported treating more than 2,400 survivors of sexual violence in Port-au-Prince between January and May 2026. Most were women and girls, while 16% were minors. Cases involving children as young as eight were reported.
Children are also being recruited by armed gangs.
The panel of experts, which investigates and analyses information related to sanctions violations, has identified several weaknesses in enforcement.
Some ammunition used by gangs originates from national stockpiles. Police do not centrally track all weapons seized, leaving some firearms unaccounted for or vulnerable to diversion by corrupt officers.
The asset freeze has also produced limited results. According to the panel, only two sanctioned individuals had accounts reported as frozen, and the sums involved were small. Banks acted slowly in some cases, while designated individuals moved money or concealed assets under third parties’ names.
Although the panel found no attempts to circumvent the travel ban, it warned that fraudulent passports could allow sanctioned individuals to travel under false identities.
Experts call for action against support networks
The panel has warned that targeting gang leaders alone will not be sufficient to curb the violence if the networks supporting them remain intact.
It has pointed to political, economic and security figures who support armed groups and said that other gang leaders beyond those already on the sanctions list meet the criteria for designation.
At Wednesday’s Security Council meeting, representatives of several member states stressed the need to disrupt gang financing, close enforcement loopholes and hold the networks supporting armed groups accountable.
The council’s renewal of the sanctions framework comes as gangs continue their deadly expansion, highlighting the gap between the measures in place and their enforcement on the ground.
Haiti welcomed the renewal but cautioned that sanctions alone cannot restore security.
For the country’s residents, the effectiveness of the measures will ultimately depend on whether they help reduce the flow of weapons into criminal hands, make it harder for gangs to finance their operations and contribute to safer communities.
The broader response will also require sustained action by the Haitian government and regional partners to address the networks that enable armed groups to operate and expand.
