Haiti gangs terrorising the populace hit with UN sanctions
- The move by the Security Council includes an asset freeze on gang boss Jimmy Cherizier, nicknamed ‘Barbecue’, whose group has seized the country’s main port
- The country is facing a spiralling health and security crisis made worse by a fast-growing cholera outbreak
The UN Security Council on Friday agreed unanimously on a sanctions regime targeting the gangs terrorising the population in Haiti – including an asset freeze on a powerful gang leader.
The council has been debating for two weeks how best to address a spiralling health and security crisis in the poorest country in the Americas, which is battling a fast-growing outbreak of cholera.
After failing to reach consensus on sending an international force to the crisis-hit nation, members adopted a resolution Friday directly targeting the gangs that have seized control of the main port and blocked fuel deliveries.
It includes a one-year freeze on all economic resources owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by Jimmy Cherizier, nicknamed “Barbecue”, the head of the “G90 Family and Allies” group of gangs blockading the country’s main oil terminal.
The resolution demanded an “immediate cessation of violence, criminal activities and human rights abuses” in Haiti, including kidnappings, sexual violence, human trafficking and the gang recruitment of children.