Latest news with #VivAnsanm
Winnipeg Free Press
2 days ago
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Blackwater founder to deploy nearly 200 personnel to Haiti as gang violence soars
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The security firm of former U.S. Navy Seal Erik Prince will soon deploy nearly 200 personnel from various countries to Haiti as part of a one-year deal to quell gang violence there, a person with knowledge of the plans said Thursday. The deployment by Vectus Global is meant to help the government of Haiti recover vast swaths of territory seized in the past year and now controlled by heavily armed gangs, said the person, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss the plans. The company, which provides logistics, infrastructure, security and defense, is run by Prince, a major donor to U.S. President Donald Trump. Prince previously founded the controversial security firm Blackwater. The deployment was first reported by Reuters. Vectus Global also will assume a long-term role in advising Haiti's government on how to restore revenue collection capabilities once the violence subsides, the person said. A Trump administration official said the U.S. government has no involvement with the hiring of Vectus Global by the Haitian government. The U.S. government is not funding this contract or exercising any oversight, said the official, who requested anonymity to discuss the situation. The private contractors, which will come from the United States, Europe and other regions, are expected to advise and support Haiti's National Police and a U.N.-backed mission led by Kenyan police officers that is struggling to suppress gang violence. The U.N.-backed mission has 991 personnel, far less than the 2,500 envisioned, and some $112 million in its trust fund — about 14% of the estimated $800 million needed a year, according to a recent U.N. report. The upcoming deployment of private contractors comes after the recent appointment of André Jonas Vladimir Paraison as the country's new police director general. Paraison once served as head of security for Haiti's National Palace and was involved in a new task forced created earlier this year made up of certain police units and private contractors. The task force has operated outside the oversight of Haiti's National Police and employed the use of explosive drones, which some human rights activists have criticized. Diego Da Rin, an analyst with the International Crisis Group, said that while there's an obvious need for more anti-gang operations, 'there is a risk of escalating the conflict without having enough personnel to extinguish the fires that Viv Ansanm can ignite in many places.' Viv Ansanm is a powerful gang federation created in September 2023 that saw the merging of gangs, including G-9 and G-Pèp — once bitter enemies. The United States designated it as a foreign terrorist organization earlier this year. The gang federation was responsible for coordinating a series of large-scale attacks early last year that included raids on Haiti's two biggest prisons that led to the release of some 4,000 inmates. Viv Ansanm also forced the closure of Haiti's main international airport for nearly three months, with the violence eventually prompting then-Prime Minister Ariel Henry to resign. Jimmy Chérizier, a leader of Viv Ansanm and best known as Barbeque, recently threatened Paraison. 'Viv Ansanm has a military might that they don't always show,' said Da Rin, the analyst. At least 1,520 people were killed and more than 600 injured from April to the end of June across Haiti. More than 60% of the killings and injuries occurred during operations by security forces against gangs, with another 12% blamed on self-defense groups, according to the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti. Gang violence also has displaced some 1.3 million people in recent years. ___ Associated Press writer Joshua Boak in Washington contributed to this report.
The Journal
3 days ago
- The Journal
Gang leader thought to be linked to kidnap of Irishwoman is placed on FBI ‘Most Wanted' list
A GANG LEADER believed to be linked to the kidnapping of Irish missionary Gena Heraty has been placed on the FBI's 'Most Wanted' list. On 3 August, Gena was abducted along with seven others, including a three-year-old child, from the Sainte-Hélène orphanage in Kenscoff, Haiti . Gena, a native of Westport, Co Mayo, oversees the Sainte-Helene orphanage in Kenscoff, 10km southeast of the capital Port-au-Prince. The facility is operated by humanitarian organisation Nos Petits Frères et Sœurs (Our Little Brothers and Sisters). Gena Heraty, who was kidnapped from an orphanage in Haiti. University of Limerick University of Limerick It is believed the gang behind the abduction are associated with Viv Ansanm, a powerful criminal alliance that has seized control of much of Kenscoff. Jimmy Cherizier is a former officer in the Haitian National Police and currently the leader of Viv Ansanm. The FBI is offering a reward of up to $5 million for information that leads to his arrest or conviction. 'There's a good reason that there's a $5 million reward for information leading to Cherizier's arrest,' US Attorney Jeanine Pirro said at a press conference. Advertisement 'He's a gang leader responsible for heinous human rights abuses, including violence against American citizens in Haiti,' she added. Cherizier and another man, Bazile Richardson, have been indicted on charges of conspiring to transfer funds from the US to fund gang activities in Haiti. The Justice Department said that Cherizier and Richardson, a naturalised US citizen who was arrested in Texas last month, raised funds from members of the Haitian diaspora in the US and had the money transferred to intermediaries in the Caribbean nation. Cherizier allegedly used the funds to pay salaries to members of his gang and purchase firearms. Cherizier has ties to the Dominican Republic but is currently believed to be located in Port au Prince. He is also known as Barbecue, BBQ, or Babekyo, has tattoos on his right forearm and is 48-years-old. In 2020, Cherizier was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control, which targets perpetrators of serious human rights abuse and corruption. The former policeman heads an alliance of gangs whose members are accused of murder, robbery, extortion, rape, targeted assassinations, drug trafficking and kidnappings. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western hemisphere, with swaths of the country and the vast majority of the capital Port-au-Prince under the control of armed gangs. Despite the deployment of a Kenyan-led multinational force to back up Haiti's police, violence has continued to soar. At least 3,141 people have been killed in the first half of this year, according to figures released last month by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Related Reads Inside Port au Prince: Purge-like gang violence, drone strikes and millions going hungry Meanwhile, Pope Leo XIV recently called for the release of Gena and the seven others who were abducted earlier this month. During his Angelus prayer last Sunday, the Pope remarked that the 'situation of the people of Haiti is increasingly desperate'. The situation of the Haitian people is increasingly desperate. There are constant reports of murders, violence of all kinds, human trafficking, forced exile, and kidnappings. I make a heartfelt appeal to all responsible to release the hostages immediately, and I ask for the… — Pope Leo XIV (@Pontifex) August 10, 2025 'Reports of murders, violence of all kinds, human trafficking, forced exile and kidnappings continue to pour in,' he added. He made a 'heartfelt appeal to all those responsible to release the hostages immediately'. Pope Leo also called for the 'firm support of the international community to create the social and institutional conditions that will allow the Haitian people to live in peace'. Meanwhile, the Catholic Archdiocese of Port-au-Prince described the kidnappings as an 'attack on society' which took place in a 'climate of dehumanisation'. -With additional reporting from © AFP 2025 Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
BBC News
3 days ago
- Politics
- 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.
The Sun
4 days ago
- The Sun
Bounty of $5m placed on warlord ‘Barbecue' who rules world's most dangerous city with super-gang who burn people alive
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". 7 7 7 7 7 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. 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 7
CTV News
4 days ago
- Politics
- CTV News
U.S. grand jury indicts one of Haiti's most powerful gang leaders and one of his friends
Leader of the "G9 and Family" gang, Jimmy Cherizier, better known as Barbecue, shouts slogans with his gang members after giving a speech, as he leads a march against kidnappings, through the La Saline neighborhood in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Oct. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix, File) SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A federal grand jury has indicted one of Haiti's most powerful gang leaders and a U.S. citizen accused of conspiring with him to violate U.S. sanctions and fund gang activities in the troubled Caribbean country, the U.S. Justice Department announced Tuesday. Jimmy Chérizier, best known as 'Barbecue,' is a leader of a gang federation called Viv Ansanm that the U.S. designated as a foreign terrorist organization in May. Chérizier lives in Haiti, and the United States is offering up to US$5 million for information leading to his arrest or conviction. Chris Landberg, a senior U.S. State Department official, said his 'reign of terror and mass violence against Haiti must end.' However, Jake Johnston, author of 'Aid State' and international research director at the Washington-based Center for Economic and Policy Research, questioned the government's reason for offering a bounty. 'This is a guy who is giving international media interviews regularly. I don't think the issue is being able to find him,' Johnston said, adding that the indictment doesn't represent a threat to Chérizier since he lives in Haiti. 'It's hard to see how it'll have much of an effect.' A policeman turned gang leader Chérizier is a former elite police officer who was fired in December 2018 and was later accused of organizing large-scale massacres in the slums of Grand Ravine in 2017, in La Saline in 2018 and in Bel-Air in 2019. More than 100 people were killed in the massacres, which Chérizier has denied organizing. 'Haiti is a hotspot right now … there is incredible violence going on there,' U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said Tuesday, calling La Saline killings 'notorious because (Chérizier) both planned and participated' in the slaughter. In June 2020, Chérizier created the ' G9 Family and Allies,' an alliance that grew from nine gangs in lower Delmas and the Cite Soleil and La Saline slums to include more than a dozen gangs, according to a UN Security Council report. The alliance was blamed for the killings of some 145 people in Cite Soleil and the rape of multiple women. In December 2020, the U.S. Treasury Department issued civil sanctions against Chérizier and others accused of being involved in the massacres. The G-9 alliance later became part of the Viv Ansanm gang federation created in September 2023 that saw the merging of Haiti's two biggest gangs that were once bitter enemies: G-9 and G- Pèp. Since then, the federation has taken control of 90 per cent of Port-au-Prince. It launched multiple attacks on key government infrastructure in February 2024 and raided Haiti's two biggest prisons, releasing more than 4,000 inmates. It also forced Haiti's main international airport to close for nearly three months. The surge in violence led to the resignation of former Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who was locked out of his country while on an official visit to Kenya. The gang federation continues to attack once peaceful communities in Port-au-Prince, and it is accused of helping gangs in Haiti's central region. 'We want to change everything' Also indicted is Bazile Richardson, whom officials say is a naturalized U.S. citizen from Haiti who grew up with Chérizier and lives in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Both are accused of leading a 'wide-ranging conspiracy' by directly soliciting money transfers from members of the Haitian diaspora to raise funds for Chérizier's gang activities in Haiti, according to the indictment. It stated that the money was used to pay the salaries of gang members and buy weapons from illegal dealers in Haiti. Most of the firearms are smuggled in from the U.S. since Haiti does not produce weapons. According to the indictment, there are two other unnamed co-conspirators from Haiti who live in New York and Massachusetts, and five others who live in Haiti. Chérizier said in a video posted on social media that Richardson never sent him money to finance anything in Haiti. 'If the FBI wants me, I'm here. I'm willing to collaborate with them on one condition, there can be no lies told,' Chérizier said, speaking in English. It was not immediately clear if Richardson had an attorney. The indictment noted that Chérizier and Richardson have acknowledged the sanctions against Chérizier, adding that the alleged conspiracy began around December 2020 and continued through January of this year. One voice memo that an unidentified co-conspirator in Haiti allegedly sent to Richardson stated: 'If I have backup, we will take the power, and you will be able to come back to your country. You will need to serve in the new government.' Richardson forwarded the alleged memo to Chérizier in June 2022, nearly a year after former Haitian president Jovenel Moïse was killed at his private residence. Another person identified only as a Haitian co-conspirator allegedly sent a voice memo to Richardson saying, 'we want to start a revolution in Haiti and are trying to collect funds.' Part of the plan was to have 1,000 individuals give $20 each or one million Haitians abroad give $1 each, as well as collect money from 1,000 people for each of Haiti's 10 regions, according to the indictment. 'With this money, they can buy pick-up trucks, weapons, ammunition, clothing to include T-shirts, boots and hats. We want to change everything in Haiti,' according to one alleged voice memo. In June 2021, Chérizier held a press conference announcing the start of a revolution. A crackdown on violence The indictment comes as gang violence continues to surge in Haiti's capital and beyond, with gunmen kidnapping an Irish missionary and seven other people, including a three-year-old, from an orphanage earlier this month. The office of Haiti's prime minister did not immediately return a message seeking comment on the indictment. Johnston said the broader strategy in the fight against gangs remains unclear. 'It does seem like there's sort of an escalatory framework happening both in Haiti and the U.S.,' he said. 'Where does that actually go?' Darren Cox, acting assistant director of the FBI's Criminal Investigative Division, said the bureau's Miami office is leading the effort to apprehend Chérizier. 'The FBI is focused more than ever on crushing violent crime,' Cox said. 'There is no safe haven for them, or the people like them.' Khalil reported from Washington, D.C. Dánica Coto And Ashraf Khalil, The Associated Press
