Discussions at the United Nations Security Council in 2024 included proposals for an arms embargo targeting Haiti, aimed at cutting off the weapons supplies that were sustaining gang networks and enabling the security crisis. The proposals reflected growing international recognition that the flow of weapons into Haiti — predominantly from the United States through illegal trafficking networks — needed to be specifically addressed as part of any comprehensive security response.
An arms embargo would impose international legal restrictions on the transfer of weapons and ammunition to Haiti, creating additional tools for interdicting trafficking and imposing consequences on those involved in the trade. Proponents argued that without addressing the supply side of the weapons crisis, any security mission would be fighting a battle against constantly replenished gang arsenals.
The United States, which was the primary source of the weapons reaching Haitian gang networks, engaged cautiously with the embargo discussions. American officials acknowledged the weapons trafficking problem and the US role in it while expressing concerns about embargo design that could affect legitimate security sector supplies to the Haitian government and its international partners.
Haitian civil society organizations strongly supported the arms embargo, arguing that it was one of the most directly effective measures available for reducing the military capacity of gang networks. They called for the embargo to be designed with sufficient flexibility to ensure that Haitian police and the international security mission could receive needed equipment while preventing the criminal trafficking that was arming the gangs.