How the Security Council's Haiti sanctions regime works, with an arms embargo, a travel ban and an asset freeze

Background

The United Nations Security Council has renewed the sanctions measures aimed at people responsible for or involved in activities threatening Haiti's peace, security and stability. The Haiti sanctions regime was created by the Security Council in 2022 and has three enforcement tools: an arms embargo, a travel ban and an asset freeze. Nine individuals and two groups are currently sanctioned. Armed gangs control large parts of the capital Port-au-Prince and are pushing into rural areas; about 1.5 million people, roughly 12 per cent of the population, have been forced from their homes. More than 3,000 people were killed and over 1,500 injured between October last year and April this year. Haiti manufactures no firearms or ammunition, yet an estimated 270,000 to 500,000 illegal weapons are in circulation. The Panel of Experts on Haiti, an independent fact-finding body established by the Council, reports that the arms embargo is violated on a regular basis.