PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) -The U.S. Treasury Department on Friday announced fresh sanctions against the leader of a Haitian gang in the capital Port-au-Prince, as well as a former police officer once imprisoned over ties to the killing of President Jovenel Moise.

Bel Air gang leader Kempes Sanon and Dimitri Herard, who headed security at the National Palace at the time of Moise’s assassination and left prison during a major jailbreak last year, are barred from any assets or transactions in the U.S.

WHY IT’S IMPORTANT

Haitian police and gangs have been locked in a years-long conflict that has seen violent criminal groups take control of most of the capital and expand to other parts of the country, displacing over 1.3 million people and killing thousands.

While efforts to support Haiti’s

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