“If Ariel Henry does not resign and the international community continues to support him, we are heading straight for a civil war that will lead to genocide,” threatened on Tuesday, March 5, Haitian gang leader Jimmy Chérizier, nicknamed “Barbecue,” during a press interview surrounded by armed and masked men. “Either Haiti will be a paradise for all of us or a hell for all of us,” continued the 46-year-old former police officer, who is under UN sanctions and considered one of the most influential gang leaders.
In Haiti, criminal gangs that control most of the capital, Port-au-Prince, as well as the roads leading to the rest of the territory, have attacked strategic locations in recent days: the police academy, the airport and several prisons from which thousands of prisoners are being held were able to escape.
Armed groups say they want to overthrow the prime minister, who has been in power since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021 and who was due to leave office in early February.
After months of hesitation, the UN Security Council finally agreed in October to send a Kenyan-led multinational mission to Haiti that would send 1,000 police officers. But the deployment is still pending, particularly due to a decision by the Kenyan courts.
Kidnappings, snipers on rooftops, sexual violence stoking fear… In early January, Antonio Guterres said he was “shocked” by the “astonishing scale” of gang violence ravaging the country, pointing out that the number of murders In 2023, the number of deaths more than doubled, with nearly 5,000 people killed, including 2,700 civilians.
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G9 gang alliance leader Jimmy “Barbecue” Chérizier in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, March 5, 2024. RALPH TEDY EROL / Portal
During a demonstration calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry in Port-au-Prince, March 1, 2024. RALPH TEDY EROL / Portal
Residents run for cover during a shootout in Port-au-Prince March 1, 2024. RALPH TEDY EROL / Portal
The airport police station in Port-au-Prince was set on fire by an armed gang on March 5, 2024. CLARENS SIFFROY / AFP
Haitian electric company employees try to put out a fire set by rioters in Port-au-Prince, March 1, 2024. ODELYN JOSEPH / AP
Police officers demonstrate in front of Haiti's police headquarters on March 1, 2024, demanding the recovery and burial of the bodies of their colleagues who died in clashes with gangs. RALPH TEDY EROL / Portal
Residents of the Portail district in Port-au-Prince flee their homes on February 29, 2024. ODELYN JOSEPH / AP
Port-au-Prince residents flee their homes, taking their furniture with them, March 4, 2024. RALPH TEDY EROL / Portal
In Port-au-Prince's main prison, which was attacked by gangs on March 3, 2024, leading to dozens of escapes and murders. RALPH TEDY EROL / Portal
Bodies of prisoners lie on the streets around the Port-au-Prince central prison, which was attacked by gangs on March 3, 2024. ODELYN JOSEPH / AP
Food distribution at a school converted into housing for the population, in Port-au-Prince, March 4, 2024. RALPH TEDY EROL / Portal
Demonstrators wave a Russian flag during a demonstration calling for foreign intervention in Haiti, February 25, 2024. RALPH TEDY EROL / Portal