U.S. Puts $3M Bounty on Haitian Gangs Viv Ansanm and Gran Grif

The U.S. is offering a $3 million reward for information on the financial activities of Haitian gangs Viv Ansanm and Gran Grif. These groups, labeled as terrorist organizations, have disrupted Haiti's socio-political landscape. The gangs exploit economic independence through multiple criminal activities, leading to significant violence and displacement in Haiti.

The United States on Wednesday announced a reward of up to $3 million for information on the financial operations of Haiti's criminal networks, Viv Ansanm and Gran Grif.

Washington has described both groups as terrorist entities, coordinating numerous gangs in Port-au-Prince, Artibonite, and central Haiti. This marks a strategic pivot from targeting individual gang leaders to focusing on collective financial structures.

Haitian armed groups, now more self-sustaining and controlling both urban and rural regions, engage in crimes ranging from extortion to international smuggling, causing immense civilian suffering, displacement, and a rising death toll mainly due to unlawful arms trafficking.

(With inputs from agencies.)