As violent gangs continue to ravage Haiti's government, terrorize its people and seize its streets, diplomats and advocates are hopeful that urgent intervention from the United States and the broader international community is near.
On May 2, Secretary of State Marco Rubio branded two major Haitian gangs as Specifically Designated Global Terrorists. In Rubio's words, the gangs are "a direct threat to U.S. national security interests in our region."
Since the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse on July 7, 2021, gang violence has greatly accelerated and intensified.
"The gangs are murdering, they are kidnapping, they are using rape as an act of warfare," said Stephanie Freed, CEO of Rapha International. Rapha is a non-profit that works to fight child trafficking by caring for survivors, preventing exploitation, and strengthening vulnerable communities.
The surge in gang violence forced Rapha to suspend its traditional residential care and instead focus on helping survivors through community-based psychosocial support. "We pivoted to providing psychosocial support sessions in the communities to help women and children who had survived sexual violence and displacement due to the gang control."
Freed believes that U.S. intervention will be necessary to help Haiti stabilize and free itself from gang control.
Nicolas Duvalier, son of former Haitian president Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier, told Newsmax that disarming the gangs should be the first step to restoring order in Haiti. He emphasized that the country's security crisis is deeply tied to the influx of foreign weapons.
"We're thinking that around 500,000 illegal firearms are in Haiti," said Duvalier, "Haiti does not produce arms or ammunition. Most of them come from the U.S. So, what's being done to stop the flow of ammunition? If they no longer have weapons or ammunition to do what they're doing, they'll start to go down, and the police will be able to actually get some good results."
A study by the Citizen Council for Public Security and Criminal Justice ranked Port-au-Prince, Haiti as the most violent city in the world in 2024, reporting the highest homicide rate of any city globally.
Pakistan's Ambassador to the United Nations, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, who is currently serving as the president of the Security Council for the July term, said global powers must take the lead in eliminating Haiti's gangs. In his words, "Important countries with major responsibility in the Security Council are expected to step forward and play that role."
In his press release deeming the gangs as terrorists, Rubio also reaffirmed U.S. support for the Haitian people. "The United States stands with the Haitian people as they seek a secure, stable future for their country and citizens," the secretary of state wrote.
Nicolas Duvalier posed a critical question that captures the Haitian people's frustration: "Why do the actions not meet the level of the threat?"
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Click Here Now.
Alannah Peters is a rising senior at the University of Florida and a summer intern for John Gizzi.