Humanitarian aid
UN Security Council Extends Haiti Sanctions Amid Worsening Violence and Displacement
The Security Council renewed Haiti’s sanctions regime as armed gangs force about 1.5 million people from their homes, leave thousands dead or injured, and fuel a surge in sexual violence and illegal arms flow.
Human toll of the security collapse
Armed groups dominate much of Port‑au‑Prince and are expanding into the countryside, creating one of the world’s most severe security emergencies. About 1.5 million Haitians—roughly 12 percent of the nation’s population—have been forced to leave their homes. From October 2025 to April 2026, more than 3,000 people were killed and over 1,500 sustained injuries. A UN‑partner agency reported that between January and May 2026, more than 2,400 survivors of sexual violence received medical care, with 16 percent of them being minors. Children as young as eight are being recruited into gangs, deepening the crisis.
How the renewed sanctions are designed to work
The Council’s 2022 sanctions framework, now extended, combines an arms embargo, a travel ban and an asset‑freeze aimed at individuals and entities that enable the violence. Currently nine persons and two groups appear on the list. Enforcement is carried out by authorities at ports, borders and financial institutions. Haitian officials have recently seized several illicit shipments, while U.S. agencies have intercepted firearms destined for the island and opened related investigations. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime provides technical assistance to regional partners to track and disrupt illicit networks.
Challenges and the way forward
Despite the renewed measures, violations remain common. Experts estimate that between 270,000 and 500,000 illegal weapons circulate in Haiti, and the embargo is breached regularly. The asset‑freeze component has produced only two frozen accounts, with modest sums, because banks act slowly and targets hide money through third parties. No confirmed travel‑ban breaches have been reported, though fraudulent passports could facilitate evasion. The monitoring panel warns that sanctioning a limited number of leaders without dismantling broader financing networks will fall short. The sanctions committee’s mandate has been prolonged for 13 months, and Haitian officials have welcomed the extension while noting that sanctions alone cannot restore security.