US designates Haitian gang alliance Viv Ansanm as 'transnational terrorist group'
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BBC News
11 minutes ago
- BBC News
Who be Jimmy 'Barbecue' Chérizier, di powerful Haiti gang lord wey dey face US charges?
US federal prosecutors don announce criminal charges against Jimmy "Barbecue" Cherizier wey be di Haitian gang leader wey dey lead joinbodi of gangs wey dey control most of Port-au-Prince. Di charges accuse oga Cherizer togeda wit US citizen Bazile Richardson, 48 say dem get money from di Haitian diaspora community for di US to help pay gang members and buy firearms wey go against US sanctions. Oga Cherizier wey don lost inside Haiti dey lead di group Viv Ansanm (Live Togeda). Di US dey offer $5m (£3.7m) for information wey go lead to im arrest. Di group dey accused of plenti killings, kidnappings and attacks for infrastructure. If dem arrest Cherizier, e fit dey extradited to US. Howeva, e still get ogbonge power for streets and dey protected by im group members. So who be Jimmy "Barbecue" Cherizier and how di former policeman don get dis much power? Im street and social media cred Chérizier don position imself as one of di main pesin for di wave of gang kasala wey just dey burst for Haiti for recent years. Di goment don declare state of emergency bicos of di gang kasala wey dey burst for Haiti for recent years taya. Di latest one start for 9 August wey cover plenti parts of di kontri and dey expected to last for three months. Since dem kill President Jovenel Moïse for July 2021, Chérizier don hype revolution against di pipo wey e call di kontri corrupt political elite. Bifor dem kill am, President Moïse bin assign Ariel Henry as im prime minister. Gang leaders demand di resignation of Henry, who bin dey unelected, wey make am announce say e go step down for March last year. Henry bin dey replaced by Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé for November 2024. Di kontri now dey under transitional presidential council, and no presidential elections don hapun for di kontri since 2016, wen Moïse bin dey elected. For August, businessman Laurent Saint-Cyr bin dey appointed to be di oga of di council. To ansa, Chérizier do video message tell di public to help im group to reach di council office "for di kasala to free di kontri". For im rise to power, Chérizier don effectively use social networks to give im message out and attract followers to im armed joinbodi. For interview for im YouTube channel, e tok about di importance of social networks. Chérizier tok say, "I thank di pipo wey create dis technologies. Technology today give us di opportunity to sell ourselves to di public. I no dey sell lies. I be who I be. I no do 99% of wetin dem tok say I do... Technology na im allow me to defend myself." One topic wey Chérizier feel di need to defend imself about na how e get di name "Barbecue". For interview wit di AP news agency for 2019, e say dem call am like dat bicos im mama bin dey sell chicken for street, say no be bicos of accuse say e dey burn pipo. According to di United States and di United Nations Security Council, Chérizier don cause serious human rights violations and both Washington and di UN don sama am wit sanctions. As di oga of di collabo of nine of di most dangerous criminal joinbodi for one of di most lawless kontris for di world, Chérizier now dey seen by many as Haiti most powerful gang leader. But e start for di oda side of di law. E bin work bifor for di Departmental Crowd Control Unit of Haiti National Police, wey dem dey deploy for riots or protests till dem sack am for December 2018. Haitian Authorities accuse Chérizier say e become gang leader for di improvished Lower Delmas neighbourhood wia dem born am and dem organise large-scale massacres wey hapun for di nearby slums of Grand Ravine for 2017, La Saline for 2018 and Be-Air for 2019. But Chérizier don deny all di accuse. Dem kill at least nine civilians for Grand Ravine during operation wey start as anti gang raid. Haitian police officers wey include Chérizier raid one school campus to find weapons, dis na according to internal inquiry wey di Haitian goment do. Officers wey dey wit di United Nations Mission for Justice Support in Haiti wey follow di Haitian police and help plan di operation bin tanda outside. Some months later, Susan D. Page, den di oga of di UN mission for Haiti drop statement wey ask for di Haitian authorities to investigate "allegations of human rights violations by units for di Haitian National Police". Di following year, anoda 71 pipo bin dey killed, 11 women bin dey raped, and 150 houses bin dey destroyed for La Saline and at least 24 pipo bin dey killed for Bel-Air for 2019. Dis na according to report wey dem publish for Harvard Law School International Human Rights Clinic. For June 2020, Chérizier announce for im YouTube channel say e don organise new collabo wey dem call "G9 Family and Allies". At first, e dey made up of nine gangs from Cité Soleil, La Saline and lower Delmas, but dem don grow to get ova a dozen gangs, na wetin UN Security Council report tok. One Harvard report accuse G9 Family and Allies say dem kill at least 145 and rape plenti women for di middle of 2020 "to fit claim areas wey rivals wey get links to Moïse political opponents dey hold", wey be wetin Harvard report. Di report add say "residents believe say dem target dem bicos of dia political affiliations, to fit gada electoral support for (Moïse) and im party. G9 reportedly dey enjoy ties for both di Moïse administration and (Haiti National Police)." Haiti National Human Rights Defense Network don repeat di accuse and claim say na local police dey protect Chérizier. For December 2020, di US Treasury Department wey issue civil sanctions against Chérizier and odas wey pipo reason say dey involved for di massacres, say di gangs kill victims wey include children, "and den drag dem enta street, burn dia bodi, cut dem and feed dem give animals". Chérizier don deny say e get hand for di massacres plenti times, e say e be community leader wey dey help residents and dey lead "army revolution", e come add say e go "put guns for pikin hand if we need to" to fight system of inequality and di elites wey dey control am. E tell AP say, "I no go eva massacre pipo for di same social class wit me. I live for di ghetto. I sabi wetin ghetto life is." Chérizier say im armed fight na to improve di living standards of di poor wey be house, food and clean water, and im gunmen dey give am plenti political ginger. Pierre Esperance, wey be di director of di Haitian non-governmental organisation (NGO) National Network for di Defense of Human Rights, tell BBC Mundo for 2021 say "criminal gangs dey beta equipped dan police and get protection of authorities". But di killing of President Möise for 2021 na im be di breaking point for Chérizier organisation. Dis na wetin di international analysts like di portal Insight crime (wey be foundation wey dey study organised crime for di Americas) tok, bicos e make am lose govment protection. Show of force Chérizier dey show imself as political leader, dey hold news conferences, lead marches for di violent capital and dey regularly use social media take ginger im influence. Yvens Rumbold from di Policité think-tank for Haiti tell The Washington Post, "di bandits go neva dey as powerful as dem be for Haiti without social media". Chérizier use im YouTube account to announce di creation of di G-9 and demand say make di police arrest di former prime minister, and e call for di kontri to dey taken ova to remove di current ruling class for X wey dem bin call Twitter bifor. Meanwhile, for TikTok, examples of personalities from oda gang leaders to rappers wey dey spread gang ideas and send messages about wetin dey hapun for di street of Port-au-Prince dey. But di physical expression of im power for street also dey shocking. Cherizier gang block di den Prime Minster Ariel Henry wey take over after Moise death from placing flowers for di late president monument as dem shoot in di air But di gang leader wear white wit im men by im side, go drop wreath of flowers for di monument for extraordinary demonstration of force. Im gang alliance don dey accused by Haitian authorities for organising fuel blockade for 2022 wey paralyse di kontri for almost two moths to put pressure for Henry govment. Di gasoline shortage worsen di humanitarian situation for Haiti. Na Chérizier announce imself say e dey lift blockade for 6 November 2022. Im G-9 gang don also fight bloody war wit G-Pèp, wey be rival group and tori be say dem dey linked to parties wey oppose di assassinated President Moïse, according to Insight Crime. Shooting and turf battles don turn normal tin wit di two groups and e don spread from di poorest communities go central Port-au-Prince. Tori comot say G-9, G-Pèp bin get truce for late 2023, but fighting still dey go on between di gangs plus including di police and vigilante groups wey start bicos of lack of state protection and force thousands of pipo to run comot dia houses. For recent months, one UN backed Kenyan led security force bin fail to get back control of di Haitian capital. Meanwhile, di humanitarian kasala for di kontri don enta new level. UN report say about 5.7 million pipo, wey be more dan half of Haiti population, dey face serious food insecurity and dia be ova one million IDPs. Additional reporting by Guillermo D. Olmo, Cecilia Barría and Vanessa Buschschlüter.
Reuters
11 minutes ago
- Reuters
Russia wants to link cut in NATO troops to talks about Ukraine, says Poland
WARSAW, Aug 13 (Reuters) - Russia wants to include the topic of a reduction of NATO troops presence in any conversations about the future of Ukraine, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk told reporters on Wednesday. "We are hearing for the past several days that the Russians would very much like to include talks about reducing NATO's presence, for example in Poland, in talks about the future of Ukraine," he said. "That is why it is so important that we build such a strong and united group of states, both in relation to Russia, but also in relation to other allies, like the United States."
Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Bounty of $5m placed on warlord ‘Barbecue' who rules world's most dangerous city with super-gang who burn people alive
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A MULTI-million dollar bounty has been placed on the head of a warlord who rules over one of the world's most dangerous cities. American prosecutors are offering $5 million for information leading to the arrest of a Haitian gang leader Jimmy Cherizier - better known as "Barbecue". Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 7 Former police officer Jimmy 'Barbecue' Cherizier Credit: Reuters 7 Armed gang members question locals in Haiti's capital of Port-au-Prince 7 Violence in Port-au-Prince has reached unprecedented levels and hundreds of thousands of civilians have been caught in the crossfires 7 The entire capital has been burning amid the civil crisis 7 Thousands of civilians are believed to have been caught in the brutal crossfire Credit: AP The vicious warlord has overseen bloody chaos in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince, which now often resembles a battlefield. Thousands of civilians are believed to have been caught in the brutal crossfire. There have even been reports of rotting bodies littering the streets of the city as lawlessness runs amok. Cherizier, a former Haitian cop, now leads a gang alliance called Viv Ansanm. read more in world news PEACE PLOT Trump & Putin 'plan West Bank-style occupation of Ukraine' to secure truce This group stands accused of numerous atrocities including murders and kidnappings across the lawless capital. The US if offering a $5 million (£3.7 million) reward for information that leads to Cherizier's arrest. "There's a good reason that there's a $5 million reward for information leading to Cherizier's arrest," US Attorney Jeanine Pirro said. "He's a gang leader responsible for heinous human rights abuses, including violence against American citizens in Haiti." The indictment alleges that he and US citizen Bazile Richardson solicited funds from the Haitian diaspora in the United States. This money was then allegedly used to pay gang members and buy weapons in defiance of US sanctions. Irish woman among nine people kidnapped in horror planned armed gang attack on orphanage in Haiti Richardson was arrested in Texas last month. The pair helped "bankroll Cherizier's violent criminal enterprise, which is driving a security crisis in Haiti", according to Assistant US Attorney General John Eisenberg. He further said US authorities would "continue to pursue those who enable Haiti's violence and instability". Cherizier's nickname Barbecue is rumoured refer to him setting his victims on fire. Under rampant gang brutality, Port-au-Prince is now considered one of the most dangerous cities on the planet. Fighting between gangs, cops and citizen groups has ripped through the city, leaving its infrastructure in tatters. Health services are crumbling and food insecurity has grown increasingly acute throughout Port-au-Prince. A recent attempt by a UN backed Kenyan led security force failed to restore control from the gangs. Haiti was thrown into crisis when President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated by unidentified gunmen in 2021. Who is Barbecue? HAITI'S Port-au-Prince currently lies in the hands of the feared Jimmy "Barbecue Barbecue - who is rumoured to have earned his nickname for setting his victims on fire - envisions himself as a "revolutionary", a self-professed "man of the people". His methods involve the killing, maiming and extorting of anyone unlucky enough to fall within his turf - turning every day into a constant battle for survival for residents. The fired cop turned warlord has been taking to the streets with a renewed vengeance and a plan to overthrow the government. He is currently sanctioned by the UK and its allies for "engaging in acts threatening the peace, security and stability of Haiti". And his influence is fast increasing as the country spirals into further turmoil sparked by the 2021 assassination of the country's Prime Minister Jovenal Moïse. Ever since, a security vacuum opened up and Barbecue has been greedily exploiting it, taking over territory and expanding his coalition with other gangs to wage further war. G9 has also been responsible for repeatedly cutting Haiti off from its much-needed fuel supply by taking its main oil terminal hostage. In a savage display of strength, Barbecue paralysed the country several times by preventing the distribution of food, water and vital medicines, plunging it into a deeper humanitarian crisis. Barbecue's criminal career dates back to his time as a police officer, InSight Crime reports. He participated in an anti-gang operation in 2017, leading to the extrajudicial killing of nine civilians. In 2018, he led a group of seven gangs in a massacre in La Saline, Haiti's worst massacre in over a decade. Barbecue was then fired from the police force and a warrant was issued for his arrest. In 2019, he participated in a four-day attack across Port-au-Prince's Bel-Air neighborhood, killing at least 24 people. 7 A man searches through burning trash in Port-au-Prince
