a country in the hands of gangs

Jimmy Chérizier, aka “Barbecue”, is the face of recent power grabs in Haiti. Legend has it that he burned his enemies alive. The “Special Envoy” team met him in his stronghold three weeks before he set out to attack the government.

This former police officer who became one of the most powerful gang leaders in Haiti does not leave his neighborhood of Delmas, in the center of Port-au-Prince, transformed into a fortress to defend himself from attacks by an opposing gang, that of the Spitters. of fire. According to him, these are “corrupt politicians and oligarchs” who pitted the gangs against each other and “brought weapons to working-class neighborhoods”. He intended to bring together all the criminal gangs to overthrow the government.

Looting, racketeering, kidnapping, rape…

He kept his word: on March 5, 2024, at the head of an alliance between the different armed groups, he demanded the departure of Prime Minister Ariel Henry. The gangs immediately set Port-au-Prince ablaze, and on March 11, Ariel Henry resigned.

For three years and the assassination of former President Jovenel Moïse, Haiti has been sinking into endless chaos. Now, 80% of the capital is controlled by criminal groups, such as 103 Zonbi, an ally of “Barbecue”. They thus secure income through various types of racketeering, primarily kidnapping. Violence is daily, particularly targeting women, institutions are overwhelmed and more than 360,000 terrified people have already had to flee their homes.

A report by Marc de Chalvron, Florian Le Moal, Juliette Cohen Olivieri, Yvon Vilius broadcast in “Special Envoy” on March 14, 2024.

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