The U.S. Treasury Department announced on Friday the designation of Gran Grif and Viv Ansanm, two notorious Haitian gangs, as transnational terrorist organizations under the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)’s Specially Designated Nationals list.

The declaration grants Washington the authority to detain suspected Haitian gang members operating within the U.S. and transfer them to El Salvador’s maximum-security Terrorism Confinement Center. Additionally, the designation opens the door for economic and legal sanctions against individuals or entities providing financial or military support to these groups.

Deepening Crisis Following Moïse Assassination

Haiti has been gripped by worsening insecurity and political turmoil since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021, an event that further destabilized the nation.

The situation deteriorated significantly in February 2024, when Viv Ansanm, led by Jimmy “Barbecue” Chérizier and Ti Gabriel Jean-Pierre, launched a coordinated assault on two Port-au-Prince prisons, releasing thousands of inmates and seizing control of Toussaint Louverture International Airport.

Humanitarian Impact of Gang Rule

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), more than 700,000 Haitians, including children, have been forcibly displaced due to severe food and medical shortages and escalating gang violence.

With Haiti spiraling further into chaos, the U.S. government’s move signals growing international pressure to curb the influence of armed gangs. However, critics question whether external intervention alone can resolve Haiti’s deep-rooted governance crisis.

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