US sanctions high-ranking Haitian official and accuses him of supporting gangs

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The U.S. government imposed visa restrictions on Fritz Alphonse Jean, a member of Haiti’s transitional presidential council, accusing him of supporting gangs and other criminal organizations in a move expected to deepen the country’s political instability.

The U.S. also accused Jean of obstructing Haiti’s fight against “terrorist gangs.” Gangs control 90% of Haiti’s capital and swaths of territory in the center of the country, where they extort businesses, kill civilians and fight for territory, using military-grade weaponry.

The U.S. did not name the person it sanctioned in its announcement late Monday, but Jean confirmed it was him, telling The Associated Press on Tuesday that he rejected those accusations.

Haiti is due to hold elections by Feb. 7, when the council is supposed to step down. Critics have said that some council members are seeking to stay on in power beyond that date and are looking for a new prime minister who would support those plans.

Jean dismissed that criticism, saying the council wants to fight gangs and corruption.

“Once we started reviewing the possibilities of changing the head of government, members of (the council) started receiving threats of visa cancellation and other sanctions from the US embassy representative and the Canadian ambassador,” Jean said. He said the envoys clearly stipulated that “if we do not desist, we will face sanctions and visa cancellation.”

“We stand firm on combating corruption, state capture by few individuals, and operators involved in drugs trafficking, weapons and ammunition’s proliferation,” Jean said.

Jean is an economist and former central bank governor who once served as president of the transitional presidential council. The council was formed after former Prime Minister Ariel Henry resigned last year following widespread gang attacks, leaving Haiti without a leader.

The office of Haiti’s current prime minister, Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, did not immediately return a message for comment.

Fils-Aimé and the transitional presidential council have been under pressure to hold general elections before the council’s mandate expires. But ongoing gang violence has made that deadline impossible to meet.

More than 4,300 people including gang members have been killed from January to September across Haiti, and violence persists.

A U.N.-backed mission led by Kenyan police has struggled to contain the violence, and now Haiti awaits a new gang-suppression force that would have the power to arrest suspected gang members, which the current force does not have.

In another blow to the country, Sunrise Airways, the only airline offering domestic and international flights to Haiti, announced Sunday that it was suspending service for safety reasons. Gang violence has forced Haiti’s main international airport to close several times since last year.

Haiti’s Provisional Electoral Council has set tentative election dates for August and December of next year.

The troubled country hasn’t held elections in almost a decade, and no one has been president ever since former President Jovenel Moïse was fatally shot at his private residence in July 2021.