The United Nations imposed an arms and ammunition embargo on Haiti on October 21, 2022, targeting individuals and entities that engage in or support criminal activities. However, the gangs terrorizing Haiti are ignoring this embargo and have no shortage of weapons or ammunition.

Experts estimate that approximately twenty well-armed groups operate in Port-au-Prince, some of which are equipped with AR-15 assault rifles, AK-47s, Galil rifles, UZI submachine guns, shotguns, Glock pistols, and a very small number of 50mm Barrett rifles.

A recently widely circulated video shows a shirtless Joseph Wilson, alias "Lanmo San Jou," leader of the "400 Mawozo" gang, whose head is subject to a $1 million price from the United States. https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-38106-haiti-usa-infos-of-joseph-wilson-alias-lanmo-sanjou-how-to-submit-your-information.html displaying .50 caliber ammunition that can penetrate any armor not rated at least III or IV…

90% of the weapons and ammunition destined for the Caribbean between 2016 and 2023 were purchased by individuals posing as legitimate customers who repeatedly purchase weapons on behalf of others (an illegal practice). "That's where it can be stopped," says Jonathan Lowy, founder of Global Action on Gun Violence. "It's very difficult to stop them once the weapons are in the hands of the trafficker. They can be taken apart and put in a cereal or juice box..."

Most of these weapons come from South Florida, including the ports of Miami and Fort Lauderdale (a major cruise and cargo port).

These weapons and ammunition are then smuggled to Haiti, among other destinations, by sea, cleverly concealed among the goods, as traffickers become more inventive, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

Gangs also acquire weapons from the Haitian National Police (PNH) following looting or assaults, or by purchasing weapons from corrupt police officers on the black market. Over the past four years, the UN estimates that approximately 1,000 PNH weapons have passed into the hands of bandits.

Critics say the measures taken in the United States to regulate the sale of firearms to phantom buyers are insufficient.

SL/ HaitiLibre