US Arms Proliferation: An Endemic in Haiti

Written by Lara Vivienne Corpus, We Kids Chronicles

FILE - Firearms are displayed during a news conference at the Miami Field Office of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), that was working with other agencies to crack down on an increase of firearms and ammunition smuggling to Haiti and other Caribbean nations, on Aug. 17, 2022. Increasingly sophisticated weapons are being trafficked into Haiti mainly from the United States and especially from Florida amid worsening lawlessness in the impoverished Caribbean nation, according to a U.N. report released Friday, March 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)

On top of the political, economic, and healthcare crises that continue to plague Haiti, there is another, far more terminal illness that ails the population—the spread of gang warfare. Far beyond what is revealed to the public eye, Haiti has been witnessing mass circulation of arms, the spread of which has contributed to the increasingly precarious conditions surrounding the country. According to the U.N. humanitarian affairs agency, Haiti has been experiencing shortage in medical equipment and other vital resources necessary for sufficient aid, leading to an impending “collapse” in the country’s health system[1]. Behind the smokescreen of violence that continues to terrorize the nation from within, several gangs have curtailed efforts from the UN’s WFP to transport the necessary aid to Haiti’s ports[1]. Yet just as critical, about 90% of Port-au-Prince has been overtaken by gangs amounting to roughly 200[2]. These gangs are reportedly equipped with advanced U.S.-manufactured weapons, and their circulation has led to almost 360,000 Haitians displaced[2]. Understanding how these weapons are circulated is crucial in order to obstruct any more inflows that could further deteriorate the country.

In the wake of the late Haitian President Jovenel Moise’s assassination, Haiti’s unstable environment had already taken root from earlier political exploits. Recently, however, gangs seized the opportunity to mobilize amid the power vacuum and take advantage of weakened political institutions, bypassing faulty monitoring mechanisms to partake in illicit arms trade[3]. According to a report from the UNODC, most of the illegal arms inflows can be traced back from Florida, Arizona, Georgia, Texas, and California in the United States[4]. These U.S. arms are said to be trafficked through a “straw-man” purchase, meaning they are purchased from authorized dealers but their purpose and recipients are not disclosed[3]. The spread of these weapons have been largely due to loose gun holdership laws in the U.S., a loophole that Haitian gangs were banking on to sustain their contraband exchanges. Once these weapons are secured, smugglers from Haiti’s ports would ship the contraband and the arms to Haiti. This is either conducted on the Dominican Republic border—which has been recently closed—or through covert trips[1]. UNODC reports estimates that about 500,000 weapons are trafficked into Haiti, although the exact number is unknown[4].

Creator: RALPH TEDY EROL | Credit: REUTERS

Due to the clandestine nature of such illicit arms trafficking, it is difficult for U.S. security officials and the Haitian police force to pin down where most of these activities are concentrated. Furthermore, the fragility and corruption that exists within Haiti’s political institutions have also been responsible for the proliferation of U.S. weapons, with accusations that political elites, officers, inspection staff, and even authorities are aiding in the trafficking of weapons[3]. This therefore complicates any efforts to track down arms trade routes used by gangs.

Compounded with the unpredictable environment surrounding illegal arms trafficking, displaced Haitians, most of which have no adequate access to healthcare, are now forced to migrate to the United States and elsewhere[5]. However, with the U.S. government adopting stringent migration policies, there is little guarantee that displaced Haitians can seek asylum and proper access to healthcare upon arrival. Hence, they may be forced to remain in Haiti to avoid the risk. Domestically, the United States has been facing unprecedented difficulties in enforcing gun control laws and curbing lax regulations in incumbent states that have resulted in the illegal export of U.S. licensed arms to countries like Haiti[5]. Although calls have been made by Haiti’s Acting Prime Minister Henry to deploy UN-ratified peacekeeping forces and U.S. President Biden has undertaken efforts to minimize the proliferation of U.S. weapons, there has been no substantial improvement[1;3].

For U.S. arms proliferation to gradually cease, more precise and deliberate security measures should be supplemented with the UNSC’s 2022 arms embargo and travel ban on Haiti[3]; this can be in the form of the United States imposing domestic border control regulations to reduce the outflow of U.S. arms. On Haiti’s end, ameliorating their record-keeping procedures, especially in the ports, can ensure that any illegal arms are tracked in the system and thus be inspected. There are other potential recommendations in place, but overall, these joint efforts are proof of the intertwined nature of Haiti's security and its healthcare—that security must be guaranteed to ensure the safe entry of aid in order to prevent the disintegration of the country's health system and the population as a whole.     

PNH in riot gear throwing gas during recent protests -- The Haitian Times

[1] Reuters 

[2] The Hill

[3] Aljazeera

[4] UNODC (United Nations Office on Drug and Crime)

[5] American Security Project