As Haitian gangs escalate attacks, cutting off ammunition supplies could be crucial

PORT-AU-PRINCE —Since heavily armed gangs in Haiti began consolidating power in 2019, they have relied on a steady flow of firearms and ammunition—largely sourced from Florida’s gun trafficking market. Despite the ongoing efforts to destabilize these groups, such as the deployment of the Kenya-led Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission, some U.S. lawmakers have pointed out the lack of action to address the origins of this firepower, which fuels continued violence and instability across Haiti. 

The calls over the past few months from lawmakers, such as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Berney Sanders, are for increased personnel and screening along the Miami River, a primary route for illicit goods entering Haiti. Also, expanding a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) gun-tracing program in Florida to track and monitor semi-automatic weapon sales could help intercept trafficked arms before they reach Haitian gangs. An interagency approach coordinating the efforts of Homeland Security, Justice, and Commerce is also proposed to strengthen the response against gun trafficking.

Determining the exact number of illegal firearms in Haiti is challenging. However, a 2022 United Nations report estimated approximately 600,000 firearms circulating in Haiti. This number includes both legally registered and illegal guns, with the majority coming from the United States and, to a lesser extent, notably by way of the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Columbia. 

“As long as gangs continue to have access to highly sophisticated firearms, they will remain capable of subjecting the Haitian population to a reign of terror.”

Ghada Fathi Waly, Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Guns and Crime

Haiti’s limited border control, along with ineffective international agreements, has left the country looking primarily to the U.S. to help curb the flow of weapons into criminal hands. 

Seizures of arms shipments at ports in Port-au-Prince, Saint-Marc, Port-de-Paix, and Cap-Haïtien confirm that most firearms in Haiti originate from the U.S. One of the largest seizures to date occurred on July 14, 2022, when agents from the Bureau for the Fight against Narcotics Trafficking (BLTS) and customs officials discovered a cache of weapons hidden in a container of clothing at the Caribbean Port Service (CPS). The haul included 18 assault rifles, 20,000 rounds of ammunition, 120 magazines, and counterfeit bills totaling $50,000.

In addition to these, several incidents over recent years have revealed high-caliber ammunition and firearms arriving from the U.S., including an incident at Saint-Marc customs in September 2016 that led to the seizure of more than 150 firearms, tactical equipment, and thousands of rounds of ammunition. These weapons often move through the border at Belladère in Haiti’s northeast, where Dominican traffickers assist gangs like the 400 Mawozo in obtaining arms.

The lucrative gun trafficking market

The black-market price of firearms in Haiti is significantly marked up. For instance, according to multiple reports and accounts, a 5.56 mm semi-automatic rifle, typically costing $500 to $700 in the U.S., can be sold for up to $2,500 in the Dominican Republic and resold for $5,000 or more in Haiti, where demand among gangs is high.

Impact of gun trafficking on Haiti as gangs continue to rule 

Illegal firearms have a devastating impact on Haitian society, particularly in the West and Artibonite departments, where criminal groups maintain control. At least 14 municipalities nationwide remain under gang control, with residents enduring daily violence, threats, and forced extortion. 

According to a documented report from the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, these gangs also disrupt vital economic activities, forcing farmers to abandon more than 7,620 acres of land in Artibonite, Haiti’s breadbasket, worsening an already dire food security crisis affecting 1.6 million people. 

The same UN report estimates that more than 3,661 people have been killed since January 2024 alone. The presence of the Kenya-led Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission has done little to ease tensions.

In early October, the Gran Grif gang of Savien launched a brutal attack in Pont-Sondé, killing dozens, displacing thousands and increasing reports of sexual violence used to intimidate and control local families and communities.

Between mid-June and August, other communities in the Artibonite department, including Terre-Neuve and Gros-Morne, had also suffered bloodbaths from the notorious Kokorat San Ras gang as well, killing many people and burning several homes. The gang forced numerous families to hefty ransoms to let them return to their homes after fleeing the attacked rural communities.

The persistent violence is stalling Haiti’s economic life, with key national routes controlled by gangs. Even as the Madan Sara traders, Creole term used to describe small merchants, call for help, conditions in areas under gang control remain dire. 

On January 25, 2024, the executive director of the United Nations Oficce on Drugs and Crime (UNODC),Ghada Fathi Waly, highlighted to the UN Security Council the need to combat the proliferation of guns from the outset.

“As long as gangs continue to have access to highly sophisticated firearms, they will remain capable of subjecting the Haitian population to a reign of terror,” Waly told the UN Security Council members during a session on Haiti’s security crisis.

A report published by the UNODC in October 2023 estimated that more than 11 clandestine landing strips across Haiti contribute to the influx of arms, further complicating the Haitian government’s limited efforts to secure borders and ports.

UN responds with sanctions and arms embargo on Haiti 

Even though measures remain ineffective, the UN Security Council persists in its efforts, mainly imposing sanctions and an arms embargo on Haiti, targeting nongovernmental actors.

On Oct. 18, it renewed its sanctions, citing a surge in gang violence, kidnappings, and arms trafficking that continues to destabilize the country. Resolution 2752, passed unanimously, extends the arms embargo and other sanctions for another year, as international efforts intensify to address the mounting violence.

The renewed measures include an arms embargo, travel bans, and asset freezes for individuals and entities that threaten the country’s peace, security, or stability.

This resolution also urges the Haitian government to strengthen the management of arms and ammunition within law enforcement agencies. Specifically, it calls for improvements in safely administering, marking, registering, controlling, storing, and disposing of both national stockpiles and seized arms. It also emphasizes the need to enhance border and customs controls to combat arms trafficking and diversion.

While few new measures were introduced, the resolution simply renewed provisions that have thus far proven ineffective in curbing the proliferation of guns in Haiti’s streets. As highlighted in the 2022 report, “the arms trade is highly profitable,” with Haitian leaders appearing both complicit and powerless in the face of this lucrative, illicit traffic.

U.S. steps up efforts to stem weapon flow

Haiti has looked to the United States for assistance in addressing this escalating crisis. Over the past year, Haitian authorities have seized nearly 200 firearms, including 45 rifles and 102 handguns. U.S. Customs and Border Protection also intercepted significant quantities of arms bound for Haiti, with seizures of thousands of rounds of ammunition, 59 firearms, and even machine guns at ports like Miami.

This past February, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Haitian government signed a Memorandum of Cooperation, establishing Haiti’s Transnational Criminal Investigative Unit (TCIU). This unit coordinates U.S.-Haiti law enforcement efforts to monitor and address arms trafficking more effectively, working alongside similar units in the Caribbean region.

In an additional push to control weapons entering Haiti, U.S. lawmakers have requested that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives enhance firearm tracking for weapons recovered in Haiti. The goal is to disrupt the flow of illegal arms by monitoring and analyzing shipment patterns in real-time, particularly through routes like the Miami River, a known source of illicit goods entering Haiti.

While the situation remains dire, many believe that stemming the flow of ammunition and firearms into Haiti is critical to weakening gang operations and restoring order. Given Haiti’s porous borders and ongoing security challenges, efforts to strengthen customs and border control will be essential if the country is to overcome this crisis.

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As Haitian gangs escalate attacks, cutting off ammunition supplies could be crucial was first posted on October 29, 2024 at 1:35 pm.