In a unanimous decision on Friday, the UN Security Council decided to lift the arms embargo on Haiti, which is a poor Caribbean country fighting to regain control from violent gangs.
The resolution, which asks UN members to prevent the entry of “arms and related materiel of all types” into Haiti, was approved by all 15 members of the assembly.
A previous restriction solely applied to ammunition and small arms.
The resolution, which was written by the US and Ecuador, also calls for the one-year extension of a committee to oversee the imposition of penalties on specific Haitians.
The sanctions system was initially adopted by the Security Council in October 2022, although at that time it solely targeted Jimmy Cherizier, a gang leader who goes by the moniker “Barbecue.”
Cherizier organised a gang uprising in late February in the nation’s capital, Port-au-Prince, which led to the resignation of the unelected prime minister and the transfer of authority to a transitional council.
Since then, a multinational force commanded by Kenya has arrived in Haiti to support the country’s failing police department, although gangs still maintain a broad degree of authority. Additionally, an interim prime minister has entered office.
One of the deadliest murders in the recent history of the country occurred in early October when the Gran Grif gang attacked the village of Pont Sonde, leaving at least 109 people dead and numerous others injured.
Luckson Elan, the gang’s commander, had been put a few days before to the other six names on the UN sanctions list.
US representative Dorothy Shea told the Council on Friday that the situation in Haiti “remains dire.”
“The United States remains deeply concerned by the security and humanitarian crises in Haiti. Too many people continue to suffer from ongoing violence,” she said.
Kenya is set to send 600 additional police officers in November for the support mission, which was approved by the UN Security Council last year but is not a UN peacekeeping mission.
