US sanctions high-ranking Haitian official and accuses him of supporting gangs

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The U.S. government imposed visa restrictions on Fritz Alphonse Jean, a member of Haiti’s transitional presidential council, accusing him of supporting gangs and other criminal organizations as the country’s political instability threatened to deepen.

The U.S. did not name the person it sanctioned in late Monday’s announcement, but Jean confirmed it was him, telling The Associated Press on Tuesday that he rejected those accusations.

Gangs control 90% of Haiti’s capital and swaths of territory in the center of the country, where they extort businesses, kill civilians and fight for territory, using military-grade weaponry.

Haiti is due to hold elections by Feb. 7, when the nine-member transitional presidential council is supposed to step down. Critics have asserted that some council members seek to stay in power beyond that date and are looking for a new prime minister who would support those plans.

Jean dismissed that assertion, saying he wants a new prime minister to fight gangs and corruption.

“Once we started reviewing the possibilities of changing the head of government, members of (the council) started receiving threats of visa cancellation and other sanctions from the U.S. Embassy representative and the Canadian ambassador,” Jean said.

He added: “We stand firm on combating corruption, state capture by few individuals, and operators involved in drugs trafficking, weapons and ammunition’s proliferation.”

There was no immediate comment from U.S. or Canadian officials.

Jean is an economist and former central bank governor who once served as president of the transitional presidential council. The council was formed after former Prime Minister Ariel Henry resigned last year following widespread gang attacks, leaving Haiti without a leader.

The office of Haiti’s current prime minister, Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, did not return a request for comment.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau last week warned on social media that there were “calls for open war against the central government” in Haiti.

“The U.S. and other countries in the region and around the world have a clear message: enough with gang violence and destruction—and political infighting,” Landau wrote on Nov. 19, adding: “Anyone who obstructs Haiti’s path to political stability must expect consequences from the U.S. and others, including visa revocations.”

Hours after speaking with the AP, Jean organized a press conference and shared messages he said were sent to him by unidentified people. One read, “I understand you are part of a group working to topple the head of government…I urge you in the strongest terms to desist from initiatives to oust the PM and to instead publish the electoral decree, as we have discussed. This is not the time to test U.S. resolve. Thank you.”

Jean also accused Haiti’s prime minister of failing in three areas: security, governance and the organization of elections, adding: “We need a more proactive, more responsible government.” He did not take questions.

The only council member who attended Jean’s press conference was Leslie Voltaire.

Haiti’s prime minister and the transitional presidential council have been under pressure to hold elections before the council’s mandate expires. But gang violence has made that February deadline impossible to meet.

Haiti’s Provisional Electoral Council has set tentative election dates for August and December of next year. The country hasn’t held elections in almost a decade, and no one has been president since former President Jovenel Moïse was fatally shot at his private residence in July 2021.

More than 4,300 people including gang members have been killed this year from January to September across Haiti, and violence persists.

A U.N.-backed mission led by Kenyan police has struggled to contain the violence, and now Haiti awaits a new gang-suppression force that would have the power to arrest suspected gang members, which the current force does not have.

In another blow to the country, Sunrise Airways, the only airline offering domestic and international flights to Haiti, announced Sunday that it was suspending service for safety reasons. Gang violence has forced Haiti’s main international airport to close several times since last year.

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Associated Press reporter Evens Sanon in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, contributed to this report.