Published
Haiti is caught in a spiral of violence and instability, gangs have overthrown the government. According to Jimmy Chérizier, aka “Barbecue”, an influential Haitian gang leader, the problem can be solved “the Haitian way” and he himself is “part of the solution.”
For decades, Haiti has been ravaged by poverty, disasters, instability and violence. Violence which has exploded since February 2024, causing more than 1,500 deaths. Gangs have rallied to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry. At their head, a former police officer, Jimmy Chérizier alias “Barbecue”.
Rumor has it that this nickname comes from his habit of burning his opponents, but that’s not his version. “There were a lot of Jimmys in the neighborhood. And since my mom did barbecue as a business, to differentiate myself from the other Jimmys, we would say: ‘I’m going to see Jimmy Barbecue’explains Jimmy Chérizier. I have a disturbing speech, it is the oligarchs and the corrupt traditional political class who invented everything.“
To fight gangs, the UN has approved the sending of a multinational force. Kenya must send 1,000 police officers, mainly funded by Canada and the United States. “It is not up to the Americans, the French, the Canadians to decide for us. They decide for their interests. The Kenyan police officers who will arrive do not know our morals, our customs, that will pose a problem“.
“If I tell the international community not to send the multinational force, many will say: ‘Here, he has brought chaos to the country and now he is afraid of the multinational force.’ That’s why I didn’t say not to send force. But I say the force will fail. And I say there will be bloodshed. I also say that we can solve this problem the Haitian way! I am part of the solution. If we really want to put an end to insecurity, I must be part of the dialogue“.