The UN Security Council voted on Friday to impose sanctions on the mastermind of major gang attacks in Haiti that have killed scores of people.
The UN has imposed sanctions on a Haitian gang leader known as Barbecue.
The G9 Family and Allies gang blocked a critical fuel terminal in Haiti last month, causing mass fuel shortages and political unrest in the country.
The U.N. resolution accuses Cherizier of threatening Haiti's "peace, security and stability" as well as "planning, directing or committing" serious "human rights abuses."
He is accused of planning an attack on a rival gang in Port-au-Prince in which 71 people were killed, more than 400 homes were destroyed, and at least seven women were raped.
According to the U.N. document, he led an attack in Port-au-Prince in 2020 that killed many people and set houses on fire.
According to the report, Cherizier claims to be a community leader filling the void left by the government, and acting for the good of Haitian residents, by telling residents on social media to "get what is rightfully yours."
He proposed a stabilization plan through a group of people from each of the country's 10 regions to govern the country until its next presidential election in four years.
The resolution was drafted by the United States and Mexico and was unanimously approved by the council. A committee that can impose sanctions on other Haitians that threaten the peace, security or stability of the country is one of the provisions of the resolution. The aim of the sanction is to cut into the financial stability of criminal actors that are causing so much suffering in Haiti.
Protests have swept through the country since the assassination of President Jovenal Moise, who was accused of corruption and attempting to stay in power past his term. According to the Washington Post, Moise turned a blind eye to Cherizier's rise as he created a confederation of gangs now called the G9 Family and Allies. Moise may have been able to benefit from having gang members patrol Port-au-Prince because he was able to control poor neighborhoods that were against the former president. Fuel prices doubled as a result of the Prime Minister's announcement to cut fuel subsidies. Gun violence and sexual assault have gone up since the G9 gang blocked the country's fuel terminal, according to the U.N. The UN has decried the situation in Haiti as a humanitarian catastrophe due to shortages of fuel and water. Haiti wants an international military force to establish peace. The U.N. Secretary General wants to send a rapid action force from other countries to help the National Police of Haiti.
According to Human Rights Watch, the country of 11 million people is in the midst of a rapidly intensifying outbreak of a disease that can be spread through contaminated water. Cesar Munoz, a senior Americas researcher for Human Rights Watch, blamed the outbreak on a lack of access to clean water and food. In a statement on Tuesday, Human Rights Watch called on world leaders to stop deporting people to Haiti.
There are 1.5 million people. According to the U.N., there have been cases of rape in Haiti.
NGOs warn that Haiti is on the verge of collapsing.
The UN wants to end violence in Haiti.
The UN imposed sanctions on a gang leader.
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