Firearms confiscated during border checks.
According to the UN rights expert, some gangs in Haiti have larger arsenals of weapons than the police, as criminal gangs are using arms trafficking to advance themselves and become "stronger, richer and more autonomous."
Arms trafficking by gangs has plunged the Caribbean country into an ongoing political and humanitarian crisis. Sylvie Bertrand, regional representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, told UN News that "the level of lawlessness is unprecedented".
Since 2021, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has seen an increase in the number of weapons trafficked in Haiti, from Russian AK-47s and American-made AR-15s to Israeli Galil assault rifles, according to the UNODC in its latest report on the illicit arms trade in Haiti.
Recent news reports have revealed that more than 362,000 Haitians have been displaced and fleeing violence in Haiti as a result of random sniper attacks, mass looting, kidnappings and prison raids to release thousands of prisoners.
联合国人道协调厅/Giles Clarke
Firepower overtakes the police
According to the independent expert, Robert Muggah, author of The Haitian Crime Market, some gangs are using arms trafficking to expand their sphere of influence and occupy strategic locations, making it more difficult to prevent more illegal arms from entering the country.
"The situation in Haiti is disturbing, probably the worst I've seen in more than 20 years of working in Haiti," Muga said. ”
These "lethal arsenals" are sold mainly from the United States and, according to the UN panel of experts, mean that the gangs have "more firepower than the Haitian National Police." The team is tasked with monitoring the sanctions imposed by the Security Council on Haiti in 2022 while armed gang violence continues to worsen.
The problem, Bertrand of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, points out that as more and more weapons come in, gangs are gaining more control over strategic locations such as ports and roads, making it more difficult for authorities to stop arms trafficking.
联合国人道协调厅/Giles Clarke
Consequences on the ground
Rampant gang violence has raged throughout Haiti, with serious consequences.
A UN-backed analysis found that almost half of Haiti's 11.7 million citizens are in need of food aid, and large numbers remain displaced while people flee for safety. The number of gunshot wounds and fatalities reported by hospitals has risen sharply.
"The increasing number of weapons in circulation and the escalation of arsenals have increased the lethality and severity of gunshot wounds," Haitian medical personnel told the UN Panel of Experts. ”
United Nations Children's Fund/Roger LeMoyne, United States Centers for Disease Control
Outline gang-controlled areas
The Independent Expert on security and development, Muga, noted that some 150 to 200 armed groups are currently operating in various parts of Haiti, which shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic.
Currently, there are about 23 gangs operating in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area, divided into two large factions: the "G-Pèp" gang led by Gabriel Jean Pierre (also known as Ti Gabriel) and the "G9 family and allies" led by Jimmy Chérizier (also known as "barbecue").
In recent months, Muga explained, the two rival factions have joined forces to "coordinate attacks" on airports, the presidential palace, the National Theatre, hospitals, schools, police stations, customs and ports, "in effect by forcing their will to expand their territory."
"In fact, gangs control very strategic areas of the Haitian capital, as well as the main roads connecting Port-au-Prince to the port, the land border and coastal towns and regions, where there is a lot of arms trafficking," Mr. Muga said. ”
联合国人道协调厅/Giles Clarke
Demand: Large-caliber guns and "ghost guns"
The Panel found that arms trafficking is lucrative, even in small quantities, but also at high prices due to the rising demand for weapons.
For example, a 5.56mm semi-automatic rifle that sells for a few hundred dollars in the United States often sells for $5,000 to $8,000 in Haiti.
The findings further confirmed the existence of "ghost guns", which were made by private individuals with relative ease, and who purchased parts online, avoiding the control procedures applicable to factory-made guns. These weapons do not have serial numbers, so they cannot be traced.
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
Supply: Sources and routes in the United States
According to the report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, a small number of Haitian gangs are very specialized in the procurement, storage and distribution of arms and ammunition.
Bertrand noted that most of the guns and ammunition trafficked into Haiti, either directly or through other countries, come from the United States, and are typically purchased at licensed retail outlets, gun fairs or pawn shops and then shipped to Haiti.
She added that a number of unregistered flights, small airports along the southern coast of Florida and clandestine airstrips in Haiti have been implicated in illegal arms trafficking.
Fight trafficking
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has identified four routes for trafficking that exploit Haiti's porous borders, two of which are routed from Florida to Port-au-Prince by freighter and to the north and west coasts via the Turks and Caicos Islands and the Bahamas, while the remainder are by container ships, fishing boats, barges or small planes to the northern city of Cap-Haïtien, and from the Dominican Republic to transit by land.
According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, most of the seizures by US authorities are carried out in Miami, and despite the doubling of the number of searches by regulatory agencies in 2023, authorities sometimes do not find illegal weapons and ammunition, which are often hidden in packages of all shapes and sizes.
In order to "significantly reduce the flow of weapons in Haiti," Bertrand said, UN agencies are training "control units" at ports and airports, which are made up of police, customs officers and coast guards, to identify and inspect high-risk containers and cargo, and to help them use radar and other vital tools.
国际移民组织/Antoine Lemonnier
The international community must "step up"
Bertrand argued for the need to strengthen security and improve Haiti's ability to monitor and control its borders. She also added that "law enforcement officers are busy controlling the crisis on the streets of Port-au-Prince".
Regarding the upcoming multinational security support mission mandated by the UN Security Council, Bertrand said it would be essential to "support the courageous work of the police right now."
Muga agreed, noting that strengthening the Haitian National Police was an "absolute priority".
He warned that "in the current geopolitical environment, where many actors are paralyzed in certain situations and unable to respond", the international community has an "extremely important responsibility" to support Haiti at this critical time, "because if we do not come forward, the bad situation could worsen further".