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World News


GANG LEADER NAMED ‘BARBEQUE’ IS NOW MOST POWERFUL MAN IN HAITI — AS US EVACUATES
AMERICANS

By Ronny Reyes

Published March 10, 2024, 5:54 p.m. ET

Haiti’s most notorious gang leader, known as “Barbecue,” may be the most
powerful man in the nation as the prime minister remains unable to return home.

On Sunday, the US announced that troops had evacuated Americans from the US
Embassy and brought in additional forces to secure the diplomatic compound in
Port-au-Prince.

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Jimmy Chérizier, the leader of the notorious “G9 and Family” gang, is in command
of the bulk of the gunmen stirring anarchy in the capital — and he vowed to
fight until embattled Prime Minister Ariel Henry resigns.

“I am ready to make an alliance with the devil, ready to sleep in the same bed
as the devil,” Chérizier told his supporters last week as his fighters destroyed
police stations and other government facilities.

6
Jimmy Cherizier, known as “Barbecue,” is the main gang leader behind the
violence in Haiti. AP

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Some claim that the rifle-wielding 47-year-old mobster’s nickname comes from his
penchant for setting his victims on fire — though he says it’s an old moniker
his mother gave him as a boy.

He has likened himself to Martin Luther King, Jr., during an interview with the
New Yorker last year, was previously a member of the Haitian national police.

“He “Barbeque” was expelled from the force in 2018 for alleged ties to a number
of horrific crimes, including the slaughter in the La Saline slums were 71
people were killed, seven women were raped, and 400 homes were burned down,
according to official reports.

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Chérizier, who denied any wrongdoing, went on to take over the G9 Family, which
controls many of the slums and streets of Port-au-Prince.

The gang leader’s influence in the capital is so large that many now view him as
the man who will take the reins as Henry’s administration struggles to maintain
order.

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“Unfortunately, Barbecue is now the most powerful man in Haiti,” Judes Jonathas,
an independent consultant based in Port-au-Prince, told The Guardian.

6
A journalist was injured when he was caught in the middle of a clash between
Haitian police and violent gangs running wild in Port-au-Prince. AFP via Getty
Images
6
The Haitian capital has been plunged into chaos as gangs attempt to oust Prime
Minister Ariel Henry. REUTERS

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After Haiti’s government declared a state of emergency last Sunday, videos and
images from social media have shed light on how Port-au-Prince has devolved into
a war-torn city on the edge.

One such viral video from the Associated Press shows dozens of civilians running
for their lives, screaming and ducking their heads as gunshot are heard chasing
after them.

Other images show armored vehicles patrolling the streets and heavily armed
military personnel escorting a group of civilians through a nearly deserted part
of the city.

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6
Some inmates were left injured after the gangs raided the nation’s main jail
house and freed its prisoners. AP

As the situation continues to escalate, the US military said Sunday that it has
deployed additional security forces to the US Embassy and called for all
nonessential personnel to evacuate.

US Southern Command said an aircraft had conducted an evacuation at the embassy
building, noting that only Americans were aboard.

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“This airlift of personnel into and out of the Embassy is consistent with our
standard practice for Embassy security augmentation worldwide, and no Haitians
were on board the military aircraft,” according to the Southcom statement.

6
Officers with the National Palace are working to reclaim the streets taken over
by the armed gangsters. AP

US officials have said that proposals for sending a UN-authorized security force
to Haiti have been unsuccessful so far, with Henry recent failing to to secure a
deal in January while in Kenya.

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The embattled prime minister remains unable to return home as he arrived in
Puerto Rico last Tuesday.

Luis Abinader – the president of the Dominican Republic, which borders Haiti on
the island of Hispaniola – warned Henry that he was not welcomed in the
neighboring country.

6
A boy walks by charred cars outside one of the destroyed police stations in
Port-au-Prince. AP

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What do you think? Post a comment.

“Given the current situation, the presence of the Haitian prime minister in the
Dominican Republic is not considered appropriate,” Abinader said in a statement
Saturday. “This decision reflects the firm position of the Dominican government
to safeguard its national security and stability.”

The violence in Haiti has been mainly aimed at Henry, who was appointed as prime
minister following the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in July 2021.

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Although Henry had pledged to step down by early February, he later said the
nation’s security needed to be re-established first in order to ensure free and
fair elections by mid-2025.

—With Post wires


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Filed under cannibalism ,  evacuations ,  gangs ,  haiti ,  us embassy , 
3/10/24
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