In a landmark move that signals a shift in U.S. foreign policy toward Haiti, the Biden administration has formally designated two of Haiti’s most powerful gang organizations—Viv Ansanm and Gran Grif—as foreign terrorist entities. The announcement, made on Friday, aims to clamp down on the escalating violence plaguing the Caribbean nation but raises urgent concerns that it may inadvertently deepen Haiti’s worsening humanitarian disaster.
Viv Ansanm—Creole for “Living Together”—is a coalition of over a dozen violent gangs, including former rivals G-9 and G-Pèp. Formed in September 2023 and reactivated in February 2024, the group now controls roughly 85% of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince. In coordinated attacks earlier this year, Viv Ansanm fighters stormed police stations, broke into the country’s two largest prisons and freed more than 4,000 inmates, and forced the closure of Haiti’s main international airport for nearly three months. The chaos ultimately led to the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who had been stranded abroad since the uprising.
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“The age of impunity for those supporting violence in Haiti is over,” declared U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a firm statement accompanying the designation. The U.S. Department of State further warned that “persons, including American citizens, that engage in certain transactions or activities with these entities, or these individuals may expose themselves to sanctions risk.”
Also named was Gran Grif, the dominant gang in Haiti’s central Artibonite region. The group is responsible for some of the most brutal violence in recent memory, including the massacre of more than 70 people in Pont-Sondé last October. The gang has recently seized areas of Mirebalais and continues to launch attacks in a bid to control strategic access routes to the Dominican Republic.
Yet, experts caution that the U.S. decision—though symbolically strong—may have unintended consequences on humanitarian operations. “The first consequences [of the designation] will be on the humanitarian and international cooperation, which is basically the only thing preventing the people in Haiti from starving,” said Romain Le Cour of the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime. Humanitarian organizations are often forced to negotiate with gang leaders to gain access to vulnerable communities for distributing food, water, and medical supplies.
The move also comes as Haiti teeters on the brink of famine. Over half of the nation’s nearly 12 million residents are expected to face severe hunger through June. The United Nations projects that 8,400 individuals living in temporary shelters are at imminent risk of starvation.
Gangs’ control extends beyond city blocks—they dominate crucial economic arteries. Viv Ansanm and other gangs operate tolls on major roads and control the vicinity of the country’s largest fuel depot and seaport. “It could function as a de facto embargo,” warned Jake Johnston, International Research Director at the Washington-based Center for Economic and Policy Research. “The gangs exercise tremendous control over the commerce of the country… Doing any kind of business with Haiti or in Haiti is going to carry much greater risk.”
The violence shows no signs of abating. From January to March of this year alone, more than 1,600 people were killed and 580 injured, according to the United Nations political mission in Haiti. The same U.N. report highlighted that “despite numerous casualties within their ranks (936 individuals), gangs intensified their efforts to expand their territorial control in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area and its surroundings.” More than a million people have been displaced, fleeing waves of gang violence.
Despite the designation, experts remain skeptical about its effectiveness on the ground. Haiti’s National Police force is overwhelmed, and the U.N.-backed security mission led by Kenyan forces remains underfunded and ill-equipped. “If this designation is intended to put pressure on them, you have to build up capacity… that allows you to actually go after the gang leaders and arrest them in Haiti,” Le Cour warned.
Even when arrests are made, Haiti’s judiciary system is barely functional. Many courthouses have been destroyed or are located in areas too dangerous to access. A U.N. report revealed that “many courthouses remain destroyed, non-operational, or located in inaccessible areas, effectively barring judicial personnel and lawyers from accessing them.”
Le Cour underscored that the designation, while important, is a “blanket policy approach that is deeply insufficient, that risks overlooking the realities on the ground today.” He added that U.S. efforts should also focus on disrupting the international supply chain of arms smuggling, which continues to fuel the gang violence. “The designation should be used against those in the U.S. who smuggle firearms to Haiti and the network that keeps ammunition and weapons flowing to the country,” he emphasized.
As Haiti grapples with political collapse, rampant violence, and humanitarian catastrophe, the international community faces a pivotal test: Can symbolic measures evolve into effective solutions—or will they deepen an already dire crisis?
