Haitian gang chief seeks to oust prime minister

Port-au-Prince — Haiti’s strongest gang leader is pushing for a coup to overthrow Prime Minister Ariel Henry.

Jimmy “Barbecue” Cherizier is urging Haitians to take to the streets against the unelected government of a country in the throes of a humanitarian crisis.

A former cop who heads a powerful coalition of gangs controlling parts of Port-au-Prince, Cherizier led armed men on a march through the capital on Tuesday, blocking roads and banging drums.

“We are launching the fight to overturn Ariel Henry’s government in any way,”  Cherizier told Reuters. “Our fight will be with weapons.”

He promised daily “demonstrations in all working-class neighbourhoods”  against Henry’s government, which he said had no legitimacy.

Haitian gangs, which often engage police in gun battles and profit from activities such as extortion and drug trafficking, have grown stronger since the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise.

The assassination created a power vacuum. The interim prime minister has pledged to hold elections once security is re-established, and called for international help in fighting the gangs.

“The international community cannot continue to do this in Haiti,” Cherizier said. “If the international community has nothing to do with (Moise’s) death, they must not support Ariel Henry.”

Cherizier also said that residents of the densely populated Carrefour Feuilles neighbourhood, who left their homes because of gang violence, would soon be able to return and live in peace.

The threat from Cherizier comes as Kenya considers leading a multinational UN-backed force to help Haiti’s poorly armed police fight gangs.

More than 19,000 people were displaced from the capital in recent weeks due to armed violence, according to UN estimates.

Reuters