The U.S. government will soon take action to prevent violent gangs in Haiti from profiting through social media, U.S. envoy to the United Nations Mike Waltz announced Monday. Gang leaders in the Caribbean nation actively use social media to celebrate violence, issue threats, and showcase wealth in an effort to recruit vulnerable youth.
Waltz, who recently visited Haiti, described the practice as "incredibly disturbing" and vowed that the U.S. would "shut that down." He made these remarks during a U.N. Security Council meeting in New York, without providing further specifics on the planned actions.
The announcement comes as the U.S. prepares to revoke the temporary protected status for approximately 350,000 Haitians residing in the United States, a decision that could expose them to deportation and has drawn criticism from human rights advocates.
Efforts to curb the gangs' online presence are not new. In 2023, YouTube banned Johnson André, a powerful Haitian gang leader known as Izo, after he received an award for surpassing 100,000 subscribers.
Gang Violence and Humanitarian Crisis in Haiti
Waltz also urged countries with aviation capabilities to assist in deploying foreign troops for the U.N.-backed mission aimed at combating gangs in Haiti. He emphasized that sea transport is too slow given the immediate needs on the ground.
Gang violence has become a major driver of displacement, forcing nearly 1.5 million people from their homes. More than half of Haiti's population of nearly 12 million requires humanitarian aid. Since January, over 2,300 people have been killed and more than 1,100 injured, according to U.N. figures. Deadly clashes in the Cite Soleil slum of Port-au-Prince earlier this year resulted in 542 deaths and 355 injuries, with at least 176 women and girls also reported raped.
Waltz recounted an incident where gangs surrounded an armored vehicle that had become stuck, setting a fire beneath it and forcing Haitian police officers to abandon the vehicle. He stated that the officers were "flayed alive on the streets" and their bodies used as a message.
Haiti faces significant challenges, including gang control over approximately 70% of the capital, Port-au-Prince. About half of the gang members are estimated to be children, exacerbating the deepening poverty and hunger that affects the nation.
Vanessa Frazier, the U.N.'s special representative for children and armed conflict, described the situation for children in Haiti as "among the most alarming anywhere in the world." Children are reportedly being killed, maimed, abducted, recruited by armed gangs, displaced, and denied basic necessities and legal identity.
Jack Christofides, special representative for the U.N.-backed gang suppression force, reported that the force has established its headquarters and begun operations against gang infrastructure, though he acknowledged the "extremely challenging" political and humanitarian environment and the likelihood of gangs adapting their tactics.
Electoral Process and Security Concerns
The international community has been pressing Haiti to hold general elections, which have not occurred in over a decade. The country has been without an elected president since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021, a period marked by a surge in gang violence.
Raina Forbin, Haiti’s foreign affairs minister, stated that seven of Haiti’s ten provinces are prepared for electoral activities, but security in the remaining three, which include Port-au-Prince and represent more than half of all voters, is contingent on the gang suppression force. Carlos Ruiz Massieu, the U.N. secretary-general’s special representative for Haiti, noted that voter registration, which began Monday, will provide a clearer picture of the current voter distribution in light of displacement.
By the end of the year, Haiti's National Police are expected to be reinforced by an additional 4,000 officers, and its revived Armed Forces by 1,500 recruits. The National Police continue to face understaffing and underfunding issues.