美国驻联合国特使迈克·沃尔茨在纽约宣布，美国政府将采取措施阻止海地帮派通过社交媒体获取资金和招募成员[1]。2023年，YouTube已封禁海地最强帮派头目Johnson André（Izo）的频道[1]。
海地安全形势持续恶化。帮派暴力冲突导致近150万人流离失所，超过一半人口需要人道主义援助[1]。自今年1月以来，已有超过2,300人死亡，超过1,100人受伤[1]。帮派目前控制了太子港约70%的地区，其中约半数帮派成员为儿童[1]。
在此背景下，美国正准备剥夺约35万在海地裔美国人的临时保护身份，这一举动引发批评[1]。同时，国际社会正施压海地举行自2021年以来的首次大选，并部署多国部队协助打击帮派势力[1]。
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz announced in New York that the U.S. government will take steps to prevent Haitian gangs from using social media platforms to raise funds and recruit members.[1] The initiative represents part of a broader effort to address escalating gang violence in Haiti, where armed groups have seized control of approximately 70 percent of Port-au-Prince.[1]
The crackdown on digital fundraising follows previous action against gang leadership; YouTube removed the channel of Johnson André, identified as the head of Haiti's most powerful gang, in 2023.[1] However, the U.S. strategy has drawn criticism alongside separate policy announcements, as the government prepares to strip temporary protected status from approximately 350,000 Haitian Americans, placing them at risk of deportation.[1]
The humanitarian toll of gang violence in Haiti remains severe. Since January of this year, more than 2,300 people have been killed and over 1,100 injured.[1] The violence has displaced nearly 1.5 million people, with more than half the population requiring humanitarian assistance.[1] Approximately half of gang members are children, according to available reports.[1]
International pressure is mounting for Haiti to hold its first elections since 2021, with the international community also deploying multinational forces to assist in combating gang activity.[1]