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A6 WORLD NEWS
Monday 6 March 2023
U.N. report: Modern weapons being smuggled to Haiti from U.S.

By EDITH M. LEDERER kidnappings from 664 to
Associated Press 1,359 during the same pe-
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — In- riod.
creasingly sophisticated The U.N. report said private
weapons are being traf- security companies in Haiti
ficked into Haiti mainly from are permitted to buy and
the United States and es- keep arms, and while inde-
pecially from Florida amid pendent verification isn’t
worsening lawlessness in possible “specialists specu-
the impoverished Caribbe- late that there could be
an nation, according to a 75,000 to 90,000 individuals
U.N. report released Friday. working with roughly 100
The report by the Vienna- private security companies
based Office on Drugs and across the country, at least
Crime said a network of five times the number of
criminal actors including registered police officers.”
members of the Haitian di- According to the U.N. Of-
aspora “often source fire- fice on Drugs and Crime,
arms from across the U.S.” Haiti has long been a trans-
and smuggle them into shipment hub to move co-
Haiti illegally by land from caine, cannabis and to a
the neighboring Dominican lesser extent heroin and
Republic, by air including Firearms are displayed during a news conference at the Miami Field Office of the Homeland amphetamines to the Unit-
Security Investigations (HSI), that was working with other agencies to crack down on an increase
to clandestine airstrips, but of firearms and ammunition smuggling to Haiti and other Caribbean nations, on Aug. 17, 2022. ed States and the Domini-
most frequently by sea. Associated Press can Republic.
“Popular handguns selling The drugs mostly enter the
for $400-$500 at federally destined for Haitian ports cargo is offloaded and highways, critical infra- country via boat or plane,
licensed firearms outlets or “including .50 caliber snip- passed on to end-users via structure, customs offices, arriving through public,
private gun shows in the er rifles, .308 rifles, and even a host of intermediaries.” police stations, court hous- private and informal ports
U.S. can be resold for as belt-fed machine guns,” The 47-page report, entitled es, prisons, businesses and as well as clandestine run-
much as $10,000 in Haiti,” according to the report. “Haiti’s Criminal Markets: neighborhoods, the report ways.
the report said. “Higher- “Weapons are frequently Mapping Trends in Firearms said. And throughout 2022 During the 2000s, the report
powered rifles such as procured through straw and Drug Trafficking,” cites and early 2023 they have said, drug traffickers moved
AK47s, AR15s and Galils are man purchases in U.S. the challenges of patrol- expanded their control illegal airstrips from the
typically in higher demand states with looser gun laws ling 1,771 kilometers (1,100 over key access points to outskirts of Port-au-Prince
from gangs, command- and fewer purchasing re- miles) of Haiti’s coastline cities including the capital northward to more isolated
ing correspondingly higher strictions” and then trans- and a 392-kilometer (243- Port-au-Prince. areas including Savane Di-
prices.” ported to Florida where mile) border with the Do- “Many are also engaged in ane, roughly 50 miles north
The U.S Department of they are concealed inside minican Republic with na- predatory behavior in com- of the capital.
Homeland Security’s inves- consumer products, elec- tional police, border and munities under their control When then-President Jo-
tigations unit reported “a tronic equipment, garment coast guard operations contributing to rising lev- venal Moïse ordered the
surge in firearms trafficking linings, frozen food items that are severely under- els of extortion, sexual vio- destruction of suspected
from Florida to Haiti be- and even the hull of freight- staffed, under-resourced lence, kidnapping and fa- clandestine airstrips in June
tween 2021 and 2022” and ers, it said. and “increasingly targeted tal violence,” it said, citing 2021, UNODC said “lo-
a spokesman described “On arrival in Haiti, includ- by gangs.” an increase in homicides cal authorities refused.”
the recovery of increasing- ing major hubs such as Port- The heavily-armed gangs from 1,615 in 2021 to 2,183 A week later, he was
ly sophisticated weapons de-Paix and Port-au-Prince, are also targeting ports, in 2022, and a doubling of assassinated.q

U.K. says Falklands are British as Argentina

seeks new talks

1982 war between the two said he told Cleverly that to find a peaceful solution
countries. The pronounce- Argentina had decided to to the dispute over the is-
ment came after Argentine pull out of a 2016 agree- lands.
Foreign Minister Santiago ment in which the the two Argentina has long claimed
Cafiero said on Twitter that countries pledged to work sovereignty over the is-
he informed British Foreign together on a variety of is- lands, which are about 300
Secretary James Cleverly sues. While that agreement miles (480 kilometers) from
about his country’s deci- sought to improve coop- South America and home
sion when the pair met on eration in the South Atlan- to some 3,500 people.
the margins of the Group of tic, both sides continued to Argentina argues that
The Argentinian cruiser General Belgrano sinks amid orange life 20 summit in India last week. assert their claims to sover- the islands were illegally
rafts holding survivors in the South Atlantic Ocean, May 1, 1982, “The Falkland Islands are eignty over the Falkland Is- taken from it in 1833. Brit-
after being torpedoed by the British Royal Navy. British,” Cleverly tweeted lands, known as Islas Malvi- ain, which says its territorial
Associated Press late Friday. “Islanders have nas in Argentina. claim dates to 1765, sent
By DANICA KIRKA after Argentina pulled out the right to decide their Cafiero also said he pro- a warship to the islands in
Associated Press of a cooperation agree- own future — they have posed new talks in line with 1833 to expel Argentine
LONDON (AP) — Britain has ment and demanded new chosen to remain a self- a 1965 U.N. General Assem- forces who had sought to
reasserted its sovereignty talks over the South Atlan- governing U.K. Overseas bly resolution that encour- establish sovereignty over
over the Falkland Islands tic territory that sparked a Territory.’’ Earlier, Cafiero aged Britain and Argentina the territory.q