Better known as Jimmy 'Barbecue', former police officer Jimmy Chérizier is today one of the most feared and powerful gang leaders in Haiti.
Born into a poor family in Port-au-Prince, his name is behind the violent escalation of recent days that has put this small and devastated Caribbean country in check, where the gangs under the command of 'Barbecue' have been involved. attacks on police stations, airports and some prisons from which more than 3,000 detainees have escaped. In addition to blockades of roads and vital infrastructure for this country.
His nickname, he himself has said, is due to family grilled meat businesses; but, according to authorities, it has its origin in their habit of burning houses and their victims.
On Tuesday, surrounded by hooded and armed men, 'Barbecue', 46,
He gave statements to the press in which he threatened a “civil war” if Haiti's Prime Minister, Ariel Henry, does not resign. Who is 'Barbecue'? How did he become one of the most talked about criminal leaders in recent years? Why has he achieved the power to terrorize an entire country?
According to the portal InSight Crime, 'Barbecue's' criminal career dates back to 2017, when he was a police officer. “He became known in November 2017, when he participated in an alleged anti-gang operation that led to the extrajudicial execution of at least nine innocent civilians in the Grand Ravine neighborhood of Port-au-Prince,” says the portal.
In this way, Chérizier began to strengthen his relationship with members of several gangs and became the leader of his first gang, Delmas 6, with which he controlled several areas of the capital. In 2018, a year after the murder of civilians in Grand Ravine, 'Barbecue' was associated with other massacres, along with gangs such as Cité Soleil, Baz Pilate and Ti Bwa, including La Saline, the largest that occurred in Haiti in more than a decade, and which left 71 dead.
'Barbecue' was expelled from the police force and an arrest warrant was issued against him. But due to close ties with politicians, he has managed to evade justice and other attacks are attributed to him, such as one that lasted four days in the Bel-Air neighborhood, in November 2019. The 'Barbecue' men along with three others gangs—Base Nan Chabon, Krache Dife and St Martin Street Gang—burned homes and murdered 24 people. In 2018, the US government sanctioned Chérizier for his role in civilian deaths.
Gangs in Haiti benefit from their collusion with members of the police and the Government. The 'Barbecue' groups are said to have received funding from President Jovenel Moïse (assassinated on July 7, 2021, and involving Colombian mercenaries). In 2020 he accumulated such power that he formed the so-called G9 and Family, a coalition of bands announced by 'Barbecue' on YouTube.
In recent months, taking advantage of the political vacuum left by Moïse's assassination and the institutional chaos that reigns in Haiti, where there have been no elections since 2016, 'Barbecue' intends to change his reputation as a criminal for that of a revolutionary, using his armed power to announce a “revolution” that aims to overthrow the government of Ariel Henry.
Shootings near Haiti's National Palace
The surroundings of the National Palace of Haiti, in Port-au-Prince, were the scene of intense shootings since Friday night. The situation is one of great confusion, as if there were attacks in several areas, and some versions do not rule out that the objective of the armed gangs is to try to take over the National Palace. Tension and violence have increased in the capital since February 28 due to gangs calling for the removal from power of Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who is in Puerto Rico and has not been able to enter the country.
EFE Sunday Editorial – EL TIEMPO
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