By Harold Isaac and Brian Ellsworth

PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) – Canada has sanctioned former Haitian President Michel Martelly and two former prime ministers for funding gangs, Canadian officials said on Sunday, the latest in a series of measures targeting suspected supporters of Haitian criminal groups. .

In September, Haitian gangs created a humanitarian crisis by blocking a fuel terminal for nearly six weeks, shutting down most of the country’s economic activity and sparking discussions at the UN about a possible strike force foreign to reopen the terminal.

Canada and the United States have sanctioned political leaders who allegedly funded the gangs, which authorities in both countries say are backed by Haitian elites.

“These latest sanctions target a former Haitian president and two former Haitian prime ministers suspected of protecting and abetting the illegal activities of armed gangs,” the office of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement. He did not give names.

Radio-Canada journalist Louis Blouin wrote on Twitter that the sanctions targeted Martelly, as well as former Haitian prime ministers Laurent Lamothe and Jean Henry Ceant.

Sébastien Carrière, Ambassador of Canada to Haiti, responded on Twitter with the words “I confirm”.

Martelly served as president from 2011 to 2016, taking office after the devastating 2010 earthquake.

A pop singer who performed under the stage name Sweet Micky before becoming president, Martelly was heavily supported by the United States before and during his presidency and made a living performing in South Florida after having left office.

He was replaced by ally Jovenel Moise, assassinated in 2021.

Police regained control of the terminal this month and the fuel is flowing again, but mass kidnappings are on the rise and armed groups continue to expand their control over the country’s territory.

The day before, former Chancellor Celso Amorim, currently an adviser to Brazil’s President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, told Reuters that the new Brazilian government would hardly participate in a new military mission in Haiti, despite calls for training. of an international force.