UK imposes sanctions on two Haitians over gang violence

LONDON (Reuters) -Britain on Monday imposed fresh sanctions on two Haitian individuals, including a gang leader, accusing them of fueling gang violence and political instability in the country, according to a government notice.

The measures, which target Les Argentins gang leader Kempes Sanon and former head of Haiti's National Palace General Security Unit Dimitri Herard, include an asset freeze and a travel ban, the notice on the government's website said.

Sanon's gang, based in Port-au-Prince's Haut Bel-Air area, is estimated at around 150 members and is part of a coalition that controls large areas of the Haitian capital.

The gang has been designated a terrorist organisation by the Dominican Republic, while the United States declared the broader Viv Ansanm coalition, which includes Les Argentins, a foreign terrorist organisation in May.

Herard was arrested in 2021 for alleged involvement in the assassination of President Jovenel Moise and the attempted murder of First Lady Martine Moise. He escaped from prison in March 2024 and has since joined violent gangs, according to the British government.

He is accused of orchestrating attacks on state institutions, arming and training gangs, facilitating trafficking, obstructing aid, and threatening Haiti's political transition, the notice said.

Haitian police and gangs have been locked in a 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 United Nations and United States sanctioned Sanon and Herard last week, aiming to use travel bans, asset freezes, and an arms embargo to reduce the funding and firearms reaching Haitian gangs.

Illegal arms continue to flow into the Caribbean nation, largely via ports in Florida and its Dominican land border.

(Reporting by Sam Tabahriti; Writing by Catarina Demony; editing by Michael Holden)