Haitian gang leader warns of civil war if premier doesn’t resign

By Laura Gamba

BOGOTA, Colombia (AA) - Haitian gang leader and former police officer Jimmy "Barbecue" Cherizier warned Wednesday of “civil war” if Prime Minister Ariel Henry does not step down.

“If Ariel Henry doesn’t resign, if the international community continues to support him, we’ll be heading straight for a civil war that will lead to genocide,” Cherizier said.

Cherizier's gang has tried several times to seize Port-au-Prince's major airport to stop Henry from returning from abroad. It has also attacked prisons, police stations, ministers and other strategic targets.

Three days after Henry signed a bilateral accord in Kenya to finalize details for the deployment of 1,000 Kenyan police officers to retake control of the troubled country, the prime minister apparently landed safely in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he remains.

The United Nations told reporters Wednesday that the US government has asked Henry to leave office and “move forward on a political process that will lead to the establishment of a presidential transitional council that will lead to elections.”

Henry, who has been in power since 2021, has postponed promised polls.

Fierce battles between police and armed gangs have been taking place in Haiti since the weekend, when more than 4,500 inmates escaped from two prisons, including gang members as well as those arrested in connection with the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021. After the armed groups, which control 80% of the country´s capital, released thousands of inmates from the prisons, Haiti's government declared a 72-hour state of emergency.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk reported Wednesday that 1,193 people have been killed since the beginning of the year and 692 others have been injured by gang violence.

“The health system is on the brink of collapse. Hospitals often do not have the capacity to treat those arriving with gunshot wounds. Schools and businesses are closed, and children are increasingly used by gangs. Economic activity is asphyxiated as gangs impose restrictions on people’s movements. Haiti's biggest provider of drinking water has stopped deliveries. At least 313,000 people are currently internally displaced,” he said.

Turk urged the international community to act swiftly and urgently to deploy the multinational security support mission in the Caribbean nation.

“The reality is that, in the current context, there is no realistic alternative available to protect lives,” the high commissioner said. “We are simply running out of time.”

The United Nations estimates that 15,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in the capital due to the latest wave of violence, adding to the over 300,000 who had already been displaced by gang violence.