The United States has officially designated two major Haitian gang coalitions as foreign terrorist organizations, in a move aimed at curbing escalating violence and instability in the Caribbean nation.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Friday that the Viv Ansanm coalition—comprised of more than two dozen heavily armed gangs—and the Gran Grif gang have been labeled both Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists under U.S. law.
“The age of impunity for those supporting violence in Haiti is over,” Rubio said in a statement. “They are a direct threat to U.S. national security interests in our region.”
The State Department cited the groups’ involvement in the widespread killing of civilians, attacks on Haitian security forces and international personnel, and efforts to overthrow Haiti’s fragile transitional government with the goal of creating a gang-dominated state.
Haiti has endured years of spiraling violence, with gangs now estimated to control 85% of the capital, Port-au-Prince. Murders, kidnappings, and sexual violence have surged amid a near-total collapse of state authority.
Despite the recent deployment of a Kenya-led international security mission aimed at bolstering Haiti’s police force, the violence has persisted, casting doubt on the mission’s effectiveness and deepening the humanitarian crisis.
The new U.S. terrorist designations allow Washington to impose severe financial and legal penalties on anyone found to be aiding or abetting the listed groups.
Overnight Russian strikes on the city of Sumy, northeast Ukraine, have killed one woman and injured a man, the country's State Emergency Servic...
Iran's military has threatened to launch sustained attacks on U.S. bases and interests across the Middle East if Washington resumes milita...
The Left Party won Sunday's Berlin state election with 25.5 per cent of the vote in the preliminary result, ahead of the Christian Democra...
Saudi civil defence sent an all-clear on Saturday after issuing alerts for a second time for potential danger in Riyadh and the city of Al-Kharj east of the capital, amid an uptick in attacks by Iran-aligned Houthis on the Gulf country.
Houthi attacks target Riyadh amid concerns over Saudi oil supplies, as Iran says it will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until its conditions are met and U.S. commitments are implemented, parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday.
The U.S. State Department approved a $2.7 billion military sale to Ukraine for air-defence development upgrades, along with related equipment and services, the department said. Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities reported at least 10 people had died in Russian attacks over the last 24 hours.
The death toll from an overnight Russian attack on the Kyiv region rose to four, including three children, Kyiv regional authorities said on Sunday. A mother and her two 3-year-old children were killed when a Russian drone strike hit a private home, the emergency service said.
Russian authorities have reported attacks on voting systems and communication lines as the country’s parliamentary election entered its second day on Saturday (19 September).
Overnight Russian strikes on the city of Sumy, northeast Ukraine, have killed one woman and injured a man, the country's State Emergency Service has said.
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has prepared sanctions targeting the entire International Criminal Court (ICC) and could announce them soon, escalating Washington's efforts to pressure the global tribunal.
French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney pledged closer ties on Sunday as they sought to strengthen cooperation on geopolitical tensions, climate change, energy and the protection of democratic values.
The Left Party won Sunday's Berlin state election with 25.5 per cent of the vote in the preliminary result, ahead of the Christian Democrats (CDU) on 19.1 per cent. This marks a major shift in the city's political landscape and a setback for Chancellor Friedrich Merz's ruling coalition.
German voters cast ballots on Sunday in two state elections that could add to the political pressure on Chancellor Friedrich Merz, as his government faces growing public frustration and a resurgent far right.
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