Leading Haitian gangster issues a warning about genocide and civil conflict

PORT-AU-PRINCE: If Prime Minister Ariel Henry stays in office, a strong Haitian gang leader issued a dire warning on Tuesday, threatening civil war and “genocide” in the capital city.

Jimmy Cherizier, also known as “Barbecue,” made the pointed remarks just as Henry seemed to be having trouble returning home due to attacks on the major airport and the Dominican Republic’s refusal to allow him to land.

Henry, who was set to resign last month, was abroad last week when armed criminal gangs, who rule over major portions of the nation, mounted a concerted effort to remove him.
The UN has sanctioned Cherizier, a former police officer, for violating human rights. “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 told reporters in the capital.
“For every one of us, Haiti either turns into a paradise or a nightmare. The 46-year-old said, “It is not possible for a small number of wealthy individuals who reside in opulent hotels to determine the destiny of others who live in working-class communities.
Gunfire at Haiti’s capital’s Toussaint Louverture International Airport forced the closure of certain flights as the country’s violent situation worsened.
Dominican news organization CDN reports that Henry was turned away from the neighboring Dominican Republic.
A representative for the governor’s office in neighboring Puerto Rico verified his jet had touched down there, albeit only momentarily, on Tuesday night. “I am unsure if he is still in Puerto Rico,” Sheila Anglero said over the phone to the AFP.
Henry, who has been in charge since President Jovenel Moise was assassinated in 2021, was supposed to stand down in February, but he instead consented to a power-sharing agreement with the opposition until fresh elections are conducted.
An armed gang attacked a police school in the city earlier on Tuesday, where over 800 cadets are undergoing training.
According to Lionel Lazarre of the Haitian police union, the onslaught was repulsed once again.
According to Sunrise Airways’ Havana headquarters, the violence has left 250 Cubans stuck in Port-au-Prince after their flights were canceled.

“They discovered the plane had a bullet hole when we were ready to board,” a 34-year-old Cuban passenger told AFP via WhatsApp, requesting to remain anonymous.
Leading a gang known as the “G9 Family and Allies,” Cherizier lists Francois “Papa Doc” Duvalier, who brutally governed Haiti in the 1960s and 1970s, as his main influence.
“I believe that society must forgive them and unite to rethink a new Haiti,” he stated, despite the fact that the shooters had done damage.
A proposed UN-backed mission

For months, Haitian authorities have been begging for foreign aid to support their beleaguered security forces as gangs continue to expand into rural regions and outside the metropolis.
When the effort to remove him started, Henry had gone to Kenya to advocate for the deployment of a multinational police operation supported by the UN to help stabilize his country.
While he was gone, the gangs carried out raids on two prisons in Port-au-Prince, which led to the escape of hundreds of prisoners and the murders of twelve people.
Reporters were informed by Bertony Junior Exantus, a resident of Delmas in Port-au-Prince who escaped the violence, “that the police don’t matter.”

According to Stephane Dujarric, a spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, at least 15,000 people have just left the most affected areas of the city.
UN personnel on the ground have not been able to submit a dead toll because of restricted mobility, Dujarric told reporters in New York.
In addition to imposing a curfew at night and a state of emergency, the UN Security Council has set a closed-door meeting for this Wednesday.

Port-au-Prince seemed to be calmer on Tuesday after coming to a near-complete stop; however, several streets were still blocked off by locals.
There were lengthy lines outside of shops, banks, and gas stations when some transportation was restored and businesses reopened.
The State Department in Washington issued another plea for calm, but a spokesperson would not comment on the location of the prime minister of Haiti.