Since the establishment of a new executive in Haiti in May 2024, led by a Presidential Transition Council (CPT) and a new Prime Minister, the country’s security situation remains alarming, despite the arrival of foreign troops under the Multinational Security Support Mission (MMAS). Former President Michel Martelly, recently sanctioned by the United States for his involvement in drug trafficking and his support for armed gangs, now embodies the figure of the “tie-wearing bandit.” While these sanctions mark a symbolic turning point, questions persist about their real impact on the ground, given the past role of the United States in his rise to power. In this context, support from the European Union for the Haitian justice system to combat criminal elites would be a welcome initiative.
Since May 2024, a new executive composed of a Presidential Transition Council (CPT) and a Prime Minister has taken the reins of Haiti after the fall of Prime Minister Ariel Henry. Meanwhile, 400 Kenyans, members of the Multinational Security Support Mission (MMAS) out of a thousand expected, have arrived in the country to help the police combat gangs and restore security in Haiti. However, nearly three months later, nothing has really changed: armed groups continue to take control of new territories, destroy police infrastructure, kill, rape, loot, and force many families to flee. Since the arrival of this new government, three massacres resulting in dozens of deaths have been recorded.
“Tie-wearing bandits”
As time passes, the situation remains the same. The new leaders continue to make new appointments in the public administration and make endless promises, but in reality, nothing changes, particularly in terms of security. The living conditions of the population continue to deteriorate. A few intervention attempts have ended in disastrous failures, often with the death of police officers involved in the operations and the destruction or seizure of their equipment by powerful gangs. The population, which had regained hope with the arrival of this new government, is beginning to lose patience. They have no idea of the direction the government intends to take to help them out of this impasse. Everywhere, people are calling for drastic measures to curb the gangs and stem the incessant flow of weapons and ammunition, mostly from the United States, that fuel banditry in the country. Some wonder how young people from modest backgrounds, most of whom have never travelled, managed to find the contacts and means to acquire so many weapons and ammunition, which they use abundantly to kill their fellow citizens, if they are not supported by well-placed individuals. This gave rise to the expression “tie-wearing bandits,” who, according to analyses, are behind the “sandal-wearing bandits,” that is, the young men from popular neighbourhoods who carry out assassinations, thefts, and kidnappings.
On Tuesday, August 20, 2024, a partial answer to this thorny question began to emerge. Indeed, the news broke like a bombshell. The U.S. Treasury Department decided to sanction former Haitian President Michel Martelly for his involvement in global
Michel Martelly
drug trafficking and his sponsorship of armed groups in Haiti. The American institution accuses the former president of creating an environment that facilitated drug trafficking and made the country a transit point for narcotics by supporting gangs. It announced sanctions against Martelly, including a ban on American financial institutions from granting him loans or credit and a prohibition on American individuals from conducting any financial transactions with him.
Meanwhile, U.S. Ambassador to Haiti Denis Hankins announced new sanctions against all individuals supporting gangs. “Authors, co-authors, and financiers of insecurity in Haiti will be pursued by the U.S. government to put an end to their criminal activities,” said the ambassador during a visit to the city of Cap. He informed that the U.S. government is working with Haitian authorities to identify other individuals who are working to destabilize the country. “The Haitian and American governments must unite to stop the tie-wearing criminals as well as the armed criminals,” he declared, referring to Haiti’s political and economic elite. When a journalist asked him if former President Michel Martelly could be considered a tie-wearing gang member, the diplomat responded unequivocally, “Yes, because the former president was involved in drug trafficking and supported criminal gangs.” According to other sources, during his presidency, Martelly created several armed groups in popular neighbourhoods to defend his interests, and most of them have become the worst criminals who now terrorize the capital.
Sanctions
The news of the sanctions imposed on Martelly by the U.S. Treasury Department has been welcomed by many national and international figures and widely discussed in public opinion. For Pierre Espérance, Executive Director of the National Human Rights Defense Network (RNDDH), these U.S.
Pierre Espérance
sanctions represent a strong signal sent to political leaders who use their positions within the state to conduct or promote criminal activities that destroy the nation. For Petrochallengers who mobilized against the misappropriation of Petrocaribe funds, this decision by the U.S. Treasury Department is a first victory in the fight against impunity and corruption at the highest levels that plague Haiti.
The sanctions imposed on Martelly are currently economic in nature. Several organizations are beginning to raise their voices to demand the seizure of the former president’s assets to return them to the public treasury, as they believe most were acquired with state funds. On the other hand, some believe that for such serious crimes, Martelly deserves to be arrested and tried, as has been the case for other dignitaries in Latin America and Haiti involved in similar crimes. Other organizations are already calling for the mobilization of victims to demand justice and reparations for the harm suffered due to gang activities. They hope that the United States will not stop at this historic decision but will continue to pursue Martelly and his allies in court. Otherwise, according to these organizations, the U.S. could be suspected of trying to avoid any risk of Martelly revealing compromising information about the role played by this power in the deterioration of the security environment in Haiti.
Dubious methods
As the situation unfolds, analysts are wondering if this first step in neutralizing the tie-wearing bandits will have a significant impact on the sandal-wearing bandits, the armed henchmen who terrorize the population. They also question why the United States, which facilitated Martelly’s rise to the presidency of Haiti and protected him afterward, has decided to abandon him now. It is worth noting that Martelly became president of Haiti in 2011 with the support of the United States, which imposed him through dubious methods that did not respect the people’s right to choose their own leaders.
As for the current Haitian government, it has not yet commented on the matter and has not shown any signs of willingness to reform the Haitian judicial system, which has been completely absent in this whole story and is also largely controlled by the mafia that fuels the gangs. However, it was noted that on the same day these sanctions were announced, the government extended the state of emergency it had recently declared for an additional two months while expanding it to a larger part of the territory. It also announced the upcoming arrival of new equipment and materials to enable the police to be more effective in their actions to counter the gangs. In this perspective, it would be appropriate for international organizations that claim to support this effort to apprehend the tie-wearing bandits to also provide support to the Haitian justice system to facilitate the prosecution of Martelly and his allies for these crimes.
Colette Lespinasse, August 21, 2024*
