Don’t Come Back: Haiti Gang Leader Tells PM Ariel Henry
Heavy gunfire paralyzed Haiti’s capital on Thursday as influential gang leader Jimmy Chérizier, also known by the pseudonym “Babekyou” or “Barbecue,” threatened to kidnap the country’s police chief and cabinet ministers. Barbecue is a former police officer and is currently the head of Fòs Revolisyonè G9 an fanmi e alye (G9 Family and Allies), a coalition of dangerous gangs terrorizing Haitians.
Prime Minister Ariel Henry is currently in Kenya finalizing plans to deploy a foreign armed force to combat Haiti gangs, following a UN Security Council resolution in October 2023 that allowed Kenya to lead a security force to restore normalcy in the Caribbean country that has been driven into a state of anarchy by the gangs.
Gunmen opened fire on Haiti’s main international airport and other targets in a wave of violence that caught many people off guard, forcing businesses, government agencies, and schools to close early as parents and young children fled through the streets in panic. At least one airline, Sunrise Airways, has canceled all flights.
In a recorded video on Thursday, February 29, 2024, the gang leader said, “Today, we launch the battle that must overthrow the prime minister and his government. With our guns and with the Haitian people, we will free the country.”
Meanwhile, speaking in Nairobi, where he met the Kenyan President, Dr. William Ruto, Haitian Prime Minister, Mr. Ariel Henry, said that he was confident that peace will be restored in Haiti despite the chaos caused by the armed gangs that control up to 80% of the capital city, Port-au-Prince.
Haiti has been in a state of anarchy since the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. There are currently no elected officials in Haiti, but Henry was sworn in as prime minister with the international community’s support following the death of Moïse.
Prior to visiting Kenya, President Henry was in Guyana, where he met other Caribbean leaders, who said he promised to hold the long-awaited general elections by mid-2025. This is the third time Henry has made such an announcement, following promises made in 2022 and 2023.
