UN Security Council renews Haiti sanctions amid continued gang violence

UNITED NATIONS, CMC – The United Nations Security Council on Wednesday renewed sanctions on Haiti, including an arms embargo, travel ban and asset freeze, as gangs continue to fuel a severe security crisis in the French-speaking Caribbean country.

The UN said armed gangs control large parts of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and are “pushing into rural areas, terrorising communities, killing people, committing rape and other sexual assaults, kidnapping for ransom and extorting individuals and businesses”.

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About 1.5 million people, roughly 12 per cent of the population, have been forced from their homes, according to the UN.