Security Council Renews Sanctions Regime on Haiti, Unanimously Adopting Resolution 2794 (2025)
Meetings Coverage
Security Council
10018th Meeting (PM)
SC/16195
17 October 2025
The Security Council today decided that the sanctions regime on Haiti will be renewed for one year and that its travel-ban, asset-freeze and arms-embargo measures will also apply to individuals and entities engaging in activities that destabilize the country through the illicit exploitation or trade of natural resources.
Unanimously adopting resolution 2794 (2025) (to be issued as document S/RES/2794(2025)), the Council — acting under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations — also decided that Member States shall take appropriate steps to prevent the illicit trafficking and diversion of arms and related materiel in Haiti, including through the strengthening of their border-control mechanisms. The organ also called on Member States to support the Haitian authorities in strengthening their capacity to manage weapons and ammunition.
Among other provisions, the Council further decided to extend for 13 months the mandate of the Panel of Experts charged with assisting the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 2653 (2022). Additionally, the 15-member organ decided that the travel-ban and asset-freeze measures (for additional background, see Press Release SC/15855) will also apply to two named individuals — Dimitri Herard and Kempes Sanon — for their engagement in actions that threaten the peace, security and stability of Haiti.
Calls for More Sanctions to Tackle Haiti's Gang Crisis
"These sanctions are key components of a broader international effort to promote peace and stability in Haiti and within the region," said the representative of the United States after the vote. Underlining the importance of holding those fuelling further violence accountable, she welcomed the designations of Kempes Sanon, "who has played a significant role in consolidating gang power in Port-au-Prince", and Dimitri Herard, "who has played a key role in enabling the activities of criminal networks and gangs in Haiti". However, while applauding the Council for these designations, she stressed that the "list is not complete — there are more enablers of Haiti's insecurity evading accountability".
Similarly, the representative of Panama — the resolution's other penholder — pointed to a "symbiotic relationship between certain economic and political elite sectors and the gangs", expressing regret that there was no consensus today to "include people who meet the criteria of those that are causing so much damage to Haitian society". The Haiti sanctions regime — "particularly, effective implementation of the arms embargo" — is crucial for removing "the fuel that is firing this conflict", he stressed, expressing hope that today's renewal, along with other efforts by the United Nations Support Office in Haiti (UNSOH) and the Gang Suppression Force, "will enable us to bring about a Haiti free of weapons, safer and in peace".
Disappointment over Omission of References to Gender-Based Violence
"France has long advocated for the addition of new individuals to the Sanctions List," said that country's representative — "not just gang leaders, but also political and economic actors who support and finance the gangs". While welcoming today's new listings, he stressed that France will continue to advocate for new designations to "support the efforts of Haitian authorities to restore peace and security". And emphasizing that women and girls in Haiti continue to face sexual and gender-based violence perpetrated by gangs, he expressed further regret that the resolution does not explicitly mention this issue "at a time when these human rights violations should instead be taken into account when evaluating the situation in Haiti".
Denmark's delegate also welcomed the addition of further names to the sanctions list, voicing support for the use of targeted sanctions against individuals whose actions threaten Haiti's peace, security and stability. Nevertheless, he, too, expressed regret over the omission in today's resolution of crucial references to gender-based violence while citing the disproportionate impact of gang violence on women and children. The crime of "sexual and gender-based violence" must be treated as an important metric when the Council considers its sanctions regime, he said, drawing attention to crimes under that category that are frequently committed against women, girls and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons.
Agreeing with other speakers that the unprecedented levels of violence in Haiti are gravely concerning was Slovenia's representative, who also expressed regret over the omission of references to "gender-based violence" in the resolution's text and strongly encouraged the penholders to consider that issue in the next renewal. As did the representatives of Greece and the United Kingdom, with the latter underscoring: "The targeting of women and girls in Haiti because of their gender is unacceptable." She added that it is "vital" that the Council "remains fully informed of the scale and nature of violence being perpetrated in Haiti — including the alarming reports of widespread sexual and gender-based violence".
China's representative, meanwhile, expressed concern that today's text fails to formulate more detailed and verifiable provisions on how the "external security force" and Haitian authorities will strengthen "the regulatory work with regard to weapons and ammunition". He also expressed hope that all parties — "and in particular, the main source country of illegal weapons and ammunition in Haiti" — will implement the resolution's provisions designed to counter the flow of such materiel with "concrete actions". Adding that the sanctions regime is "only one of the tools to respond to the crisis in Haiti", he said that resolving that country's multiple crises requires an integrated approach — "and ultimately, it depends on Haiti's own efforts".
Stating that UN sanctions are "a means to an end", the representative of Pakistan said that such measures — "where necessary and applied judiciously" — can address threats to peace "by targeting the delinquent individuals and entities, sparing the general populace from negative consequences". Recalling that his delegation prioritized achieving consensus during negotiations on today's resolution, he emphasized that "consensus helps build legitimacy for sanctions measures, which, in turn, aids their effective implementation". Further, he expressed support for Haiti's sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as "the sovereign political choices made by Haiti to overcome its current challenges".
Strengthening Embargo Compliance, Building Stronger Capacity on Ground Vital
Sierra Leone's representative, also speaking for Algeria, Guyana and Somalia, said that today's adoption reaffirms the Council's strong commitment to fighting gang violence in Haiti and sends a clear message to Haitian civilians "that they are not alone". He welcomed the inclusion of new provisions in today's text, including efforts to strengthen the enforcement of the territorial arms embargo, which is an essential strategy to counter gang violence. Strengthening compliance with the embargo and building stronger capacity on the ground are both critical. In that regard, he urged the international community to support the Haitian National Police and the country's armed forces where needed.
The representative of the Russian Federation, Council President for October, spoke in his national capacity to describe today's resolution as one that takes a balanced approach and whose penholders took Moscow's concerns into consideration. It is important to closely implement the arms embargo, he urged, especially in the case of States from which there is an unimpeded flow of weapons to Haiti. However, international restrictions should not be used to fundamentally change Haiti's political landscape, and he warned against the listing of individuals who could play an important political role in Haiti's future.
For his part, Haiti's representative welcomed today's adoption, as the sanctions regime can be a powerful deterrent mechanism if properly implemented against armed gangs and those who support and fund them. Noting the importance of cooperation among national, regional and international actors in combating arms trafficking, he described the sanctions regime as a complement to the Multinational Security Support mission that was recently transitioned to the Gang Suppression Force through Council resolution 2793 (2025). He went on to state that the Haitian Government has noted the names annexed to today's resolution, and that their cases will be handled in line with national law.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
