Cracking down on worsening gang violence in Haiti, the United Nations and United States on Friday imposed new sanctions on a former palace security official and a Port-au-Prince gang leader, following a unanimous Security Council vote.

The sanctions target Bel Air gang leader Kempes Sanon and Dimitri Herard, who headed palace security at the time of President Jovenel Moise’s 2021 assassination and escaped prison during a mass jailbreak last year.

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.

The UN sanctions plan aims to, via travel bans, asset freezes, and an arms embargo,

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