US asks UN to impose sanctions on gang leaders and those who finance them

The United States is preparing to circulate a resolution Monday among members of the United Nations Security Council that would establish a new framework for punishing Haiti’s gang leaders, and will not rule out international intervention as the country falls. into lawlessness, according to a note published by the Miami Herald.

Under Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Brian A. Nichols said in an interview that the gang leaders who have fueled Haiti’s security crisis for decades and those who fund them will face financial penalties and barriers to international travel.

The Biden administration expects quick passage of the resolution “in the coming days,” Nichols said.

“The resolution will create a United Nations framework for imposing sanctions on gang leaders and those who support, facilitate and finance their activities,” he said. “These sanctions would target their financial resources and ability to travel.”

The Haitian government has all but lost control of security in the Caribbean nation, and US officials say the country has reached a crisis not seen since the early 1990s.