NEW YORK - THE United States has thrown its support behind the United Nations Security Coumcil’s recently passed Resolution 2700, which is the renewal of a one-year sanction on Haiti that targets arms embargo.
“The United States welcomes the UN Security Council’s October 19 unanimous adoption of resolution 2700, which renews an arms embargo on Haiti to prevent the supply of weapons to non-state actors, as well as a targeted assets freeze and travel ban measures,” the US State Department said in a media statement.
Haiti, which has been in deep socio-economic turmoil since the assassination of former President Jovenel Moise, has experienced an increase in gun violence and gang warfare within the streets of the country, prompting another resolution to have troops deployed to assist in stabilizing the country.
“Since October 2022, the United States has taken steps to impose sanctions and visa restrictions on over 50 individuals for undermining Haiti’s democratic processes, supporting or financing gangs and criminal organizations, or engaging in significant corruption and human rights violations,” the statement read.
The statement continued: “The State Department is partnering with Homeland Security Investigations to create a Transnational Criminal Investigative Unit within Haiti to facilitate investigations and prosecution of transnational crimes, including those with a U.S. nexus. This new unit will focus on crimes including firearms and ammunition smuggling, human trafficking, and transnational gang activity.”
CARICOM and other partners have called for more support to be given to Haiti to combat the growing turmoil within the territory.
“The Council, acting under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, unanimously adopted resolution 2700 (2023) (to be issued as document S/RES/2700), demanded an immediate cessation of kidnappings, sexual and gender-based violence, trafficking in persons, migrant smuggling, homicides, extrajudicial killings and recruitment of children by armed groups and criminal networks,” the UNSC agreed on last Thursday.
“Those designated for sanctions have been deemed directly or indirectly responsible for or complicit in actions that threaten the peace, security or stability of the country. The resolution directs the Security Council Committee on Haiti to update the list of designated individuals and entities swiftly, taking into account reports submitted by the Panel of Experts on Haiti, put in place by resolution 2653 (2022),” the UNSC added.
Earlier this month, the Security Council “authorized deployment of a Multinational Security Support Mission, headed by Kenya, in close cooperation and coordination with the Government of Haiti, for an initial period of 12 months, with a review after nine”.
That position was adopted by 13 of the 15 member panel, in which “the Council, acting under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, authorized the Mission on the understanding that the cost of implementing the operation will be borne by voluntary contributions and support from individual Member States and regional organizations, in strict compliance with international law”.
