Haiti gang leader Barbecue threatens to attack Prime Minister’s office
Haiti gang leader Barbecue threatens to attack Prime Minister’s office
Haitian gang leader Jimmy “Barbecue” Cherizier has vowed to attack the Prime Minister’s office and other government buildings as the conflict in Haiti intensifies.
In a video shared on social media, Jimmy “Barbecue” Cherizier, leader of the “Viv Ansanm” gang coalition, called on the nation to help him overthrow the transitional government and announced plans to seize government offices, including the building housing the executive branch.
His threats came as the country prepares for a leadership transition, with the Presidential Transitional Council’s leadership set to rotate on Thursday, August 7.
Fritz Alphonse Jean, who has held the office since March, was scheduled to hand over the helm to Laurent Saint-Cyr, a businessman who has led the American Chamber of Commerce in Haiti and the country’s Chamber of Industry.
Barbecue’s hold on Haiti has been ongoing since 2018, with the ex-cop turned gang leader vowing to fight any foreign military intervention, including the Kenyan-led Multinational Security Support Mission (MSSM).
The gang leader’s warning came amid an early morning attack by Haitian gangs that left three officers attached to the MSS Mission injured.
The attack occurred on Thursday, August 7, in Kenscoff at 2 am, after the forces, largely composed of Kenyan police officers, had responded to distress calls from area residents.
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A statement released by MSSM Spokesperson Jackson Ombaka after the attack revealed that it was linked to the planned power transition.
After responding to the distress call, armoured vehicles carrying MSS forces became stuck in trenches dug by gangs, triggering the attack.
Ombaka detailed that the gangs ambushed the officers using Molotov cocktails, improvised incendiary weapons made by attaching burning cloth to liquor bottles, and hurling them to ignite fires and cause damage.
Despite sustaining injuries, the officers were treated at the Aspen Level 2 Hospital and later discharged. However, Ombaka noted that the officers could not salvage the vehicles, which were burnt and damaged beyond repair.
Haiti has been mired in violence and political chaos since the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise, with gangs controlling 90 per cent of the capital and over 3,137 people murdered this year, according to the United Nations.
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