Haiti in the Caribbean has been struggling with gang violence in recent years. Most gangs are armed, resulting in over 5,600 deaths last year alone, an increase of 1,000 compared to the previous year. Additionally, the number of displaced people due to gang violence in Haiti exceeds 1 million.
According to the New York Times (NYT) on the 20th (local time), about 20 gangs are active in Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince. Many of them are reported to possess weapons such as AR-15 rifles, Galil assault rifles, shotguns, and Glock handguns. The United Nations (UN) estimates that there are between 270,000 and 500,000 illegally circulating firearms in Haiti.
In fact, firearms are not manufactured in Haiti, and the distribution of firearms is illegal. The UN has previously taken actions against gangs threatening safety in Haiti, such as asset freezes, travel bans, and arms embargoes in 2022. However, it is ironic that gangs are armed with hundreds of thousands of firearms in Haiti, where firearms are prohibited.
Most of the firearms possessed by gangs are smuggled from the United States. According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, 90% of the illegal firearms smuggled into the Caribbean from 2016 to 2023 were transported from southern Florida, including the ports of Miami and Fort Lauderdale. The weapons are smuggled mixed with bicycles, cars, electronics, clothing, and other items in cargo ships or transport containers.
Gangs have recently expanded their distribution routes for firearms to the Dominican Republic. In February, Dominican customs officials confiscated arms heading to Haiti, marking the largest seizure in the country's history. A container on a cargo ship called "Sarah Express" contained over 20 types of firearms, including Barrett .50 caliber semi-automatic rifles and AK-47 assault rifles, along with 26,000 rounds of ammunition.
The Haitian government has restricted imports through land borders with the Dominican Republic to combat the arms smuggling issue, but it has not been able to stop the gangs. Earlier, in January, a cargo ship arriving from New York was seized at a Dominican port, with local officials suggesting that the ship was likely heading for Haiti. This cargo ship carried a total of 37 firearms, some labeled as manufactured in Vermont and Georgia.
The unstable security situation has facilitated the arms smuggling by gangs. The NYT reported, "Gangs attack police stations or bribe local police to obtain weapons, securing firearms and ammunition," noting that the UN reported that 1,000 police firearms have disappeared over the past four years, with police allegedly selling them on the black market.
It seems that the illegal possession of firearms by gangs is unlikely to be resolved anytime soon. Haiti lacks resources such as scanners or security personnel to tackle the issue of firearms smuggled across its borders and ports. Additionally, ports within the U.S., where illegal firearms originate, conduct random cargo inspections, making it impossible to block all firearms headed for Haiti.
Bill O'Neill, the UN independent human rights expert on Haiti, stated, "If the distribution of guns and ammunition is stopped, gangs will run out of ammunition, and this is a faster and safer way to dismantle gangs."