State Department targets financial networks of two powerful criminal coalitions designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations
The U.S. Department of State’s Rewards for Justice (RFJ) program has announced a reward of up to $3 million, plus possible relocation assistance, for information that disrupts the financial mechanisms of two of Haiti’s most powerful criminal organizations: the Viv Ansanm gang coalition and Gran Grif.
Both groups were formally designated by Secretary of State Marco Rubio in May 2025 as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) and Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs). The designations block their assets and prohibit U.S. persons from providing them with any material support.
Despite these measures, the gangs continue to control key economic corridors, generating millions through systematic extortion, kidnappings, arms and drug trafficking, hijackings, and other criminal activities.
Viv Ansanm, formed in September 2023 as an alliance of major Port-au-Prince factions (including G-9 and G-Pèp), has been linked to mass murders, collective rapes (including of American citizens), attacks on government buildings, prisons, police stations, hospitals, and the main airport — actions that helped force the resignation of then-Prime Minister Ariel Henry in April 2024. Its primary revenue comes from extortion and ransom kidnappings.
Gran Grif, the dominant force in Haiti’s Artibonite Valley since around 2016, has been tied to 80% of reported civilian deaths in the region since 2022. The group has attacked Haitian National Police and the UN-authorized Multinational Security Support mission (including a February 2025 incident that killed a Kenyan officer). It is also accused of widespread looting, extortion, hijackings, forced child recruitment, and the theft of crops and livestock, which have worsened food insecurity and contributed to Haiti’s ranking among the world’s worst hunger hotspots.
The announcement was publicized through official social media channels and mirrored the visual reward posters issued by RFJ. The move marks a strategic shift in U.S. policy — moving beyond earlier rewards focused on individual gang leaders to directly target the groups’ economic infrastructure and financing networks.
This latest reward underscores the U.S. commitment to combating the criminal networks that have terrorized Haiti, displaced over 1.4 million people, and obstructed humanitarian aid.
L’Union Suite will continue to follow developments in the Rewards for Justice program and broader international efforts to dismantle Haiti’s most dangerous gangs.
Justice and stability for Haiti remain urgent priorities.
