Jimmy ‘Barbecue’ Cherizier is at the centre of the escalating crisis in Haiti, a country grappling with unprecedented levels of violence and anarchy.
Haiti riots escalate on Monday, 11 March 2024: Here’s the latest
Haiti is on the brink of chaos as violence surged over the weekend, with armed gangs launching a bold assault on the National Palace and igniting the Interior Ministry with petrol bombs.
According to reports, this uptick in violence follows a protracted siege on the international airport, leading to its shutdown.
This closure even affected Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who, after being barred from landing in Haiti from the United States, found himself stranded in Puerto Rico.
The escalating unrest prompted a response from the US military, which conducted operations to secure the US embassy and evacuate non-essential personnel.
Meanwhile, the German ambassador and European Union diplomats evacuated the country, which is now experiencing its most severe humanitarian crisis since the 2010 earthquake.
The dire situation leaves millions of Haitians with no escape from the intensifying turmoil.
Who is Jimmy ‘Barbecue’ Cherizier?
Jimmy ‘Barbecue’ Cherizier, a figure synonymous with Haiti’s deepening crisis, stands as one of the most influential and feared gang leaders in the country.
Born in Delmas, Ouest, a commune in the Port-au-Prince Arrondissement, Cherizier’s life trajectory took him from a community shadowed by poverty to the epicentre of Haitian gang warfare.
The son of a family of eight, he faced adversity early in life with the death of his father when he was just five years old. This hardship, however, set the stage for a complex journey from law enforcement to the leadership of a powerful gang federation.
Before his notorious rise as the head of the Revolutionary Forces of the G9 Family and Allies (FRG9), Cherizier served in the Haitian National Police.
His tenure in the police force included time in the Unité Départementale pour le Maintien de l’Ordre (UDMO), a special unit designed for maintaining order.
This period of his life is marked by controversy, including allegations of involvement in several massacres, such as the La Saline massacre in 2018, where at least 71 people were killed.
Despite his role in law enforcement, or perhaps because of it, Cherizier was eventually dismissed from the police force in December 2018.
Transitioning from a police officer to a gang leader, Cherizier took command of Base Delmas 6 in Delmas, Ouest, where he orchestrated large-scale massacres, further cementing his fearsome reputation.
Under his leadership, the G9 Family and Allies was formed, originally comprising nine groups but has since expanded.
This federation has been responsible for numerous violent actions, including massacres and sieges across Port-au-Prince, aimed at challenging the existing political order and seizing control of strategic urban areas.
Cherizier’s leadership style and the operational scope of the G9 have brought a new level of organisation and ambition to gang activities in Haiti.
He has publicly positioned himself not merely as a gang leader but as the leader of an “armed revolution,” seeking to overthrow the current government led by Prime Minister Ariel Henry.
His influence in Port-au-Prince and beyond has been characterised by a mix of fear and support, with the G9 controlling significant portions of the city, including key access points that allow them to effectively isolate the capital from the rest of Haiti.
What’s the cause of the Haiti riots?
The riots in Haiti have roots in deep-seated political, economic, and social crises.
The absence of democratic elections for seven years, coupled with the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse and the vacuum left by the departure of the last elected officials, has plunged the country into chaos.
The crisis is exacerbated by the historical economic struggles stemming from the 2010 earthquake, decades of dictatorship under the Duvalier family, and crippling reparations to France following independence in 1804.
These factors, combined with consistent international interference, have stymied Haiti’s development and autonomy, setting the stage for the current upheaval led by figures like Jimmy ‘Barbecue’ Cherizier and the politically connected gangs wreaking havoc across Port-au-Prince.