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Revision as of 02:53, 26 March 2024

Jimmy Chérizier
Babekyou
Chérizier in 2024
Born1976/1977
Delmas, Ouest, Haiti[1]
Other names"Babekyou" ("Barbecue")
Organization(s)Revolutionary Forces of the G9 Family and Allies
(Haitian Creole: Fòs Revolisyonè G9 an Fanmi e Alye)
TitleLeader of Revolutionary Forces of the G9 Family and Allies
Motivecapture key government institutions, and take power in Haiti

Jimmy Chérizier (born 1976 or 1977),[2] nicknamed Barbecue (Template:Lang-ht), is a Haitian gang leader, former police officer, and warlord[3][4] who is the head of the Revolutionary Forces of the G9 Family and Allies (Template:Lang-ht), abbreviated as "G9" or "FRG9", a federation of over a dozen Haitian gangs based in Port-au-Prince.[5][6] Known for often making public appearances in military camouflage and a beret,[7] he calls himself the leader of an "armed revolution".[8] Considered one of the most powerful gang leaders in Haiti, he is also currently believed to be one of the country's de facto most powerful political figures.[9][1] He is believed to be responsible for numerous large-scale massacres in the Port-au-Prince area.[5][10][11]

In early March 2024, the G9 staged the largest jailbreak in Haitian history and escalated attacks across the country, including an attempted siege of the Toussaint Louverture International Airport. Chérizier claimed responsibility for the attacks and stated that the goal was to capture key government institutions, overthrow Prime Minister Ariel Henry and take power in Haiti,[12] warning that "if Ariel Henry doesn't step down and the international community continues to support him, they will lead us directly to a civil war which will end in genocide."[13] Henry announced his intention to resign on 11 March.

Early life and career as police officer

Jimmy Chérizier was born in Delmas, Ouest, which is located in the Port-au-Prince Arrondissement, next to the slums of La Saline, Port-au-Prince. He was one of eight children. His father died when he was five years old.[1] Chérizier's mother worked as a fried chicken vendor during his childhood, which he claims to be origin of his nickname "Barbecue"; others, however, claim it originated from allegations of him setting people on fire during massacres, which he denies.[14]

Chérizier was a police officer for the Haitian National Police prior to becoming a gang leader.[5] Chérizier belonged to the Unité Départementale pour le Maintien de l'Ordre (UDMO, "Unit for the Maintenance of Order"), a special unit within the Haitian National Police.[15] Chérizier became a gang leader in Base Delmas 6, Delmas, Ouest, perpetrating multiple large-scale massacres.[1]

While he was a police officer, Chérizier is alleged to have perpetrated the 2018 La Saline massacre, in which at least 71 people were killed and over 400 homes burned down. He is accused of being involved in the 2017 Grande Ravine massacre that killed at least nine people,[16] and the 2019 Bel Air massacre.[1] In December 2018, Chérizier was fired by the Haitian National Police.[1]

Leader of the G9 Family and Allies

See also: Gang war in Haiti

Chérizier is the leader of the Revolutionary Forces of the G9 Family and Allies (G9, Template:Lang-ht), a self-described federation of rebel groups.[5] The organization was originally composed of nine groups, but has since grown to include over a dozen. Chérizier calls himself the leader of an "armed revolution".[8] The formation of the G9 was announced by Chérizier in a YouTube video on 10 June 2020, soon after the May 2020 Port-au-Prince massacre.[17][18]

The G9 is one of about 95 rebellious factions that battle for supremacy in Port-au-Prince.[19] Its stronghold is believed to be the commune of Delmas, Ouest.[20] As of July 2021, it controlled Martissant, Village de Dieu, Grande Ravine, Bel Air, Cité Soleil, Fort Dimanche, and many other areas in Port-au-Prince.[15] These areas give the G9 a hold over the center of Port-au-Prince, as well as northern and southern access points to its metropolitan area, which allow the G9 to isolate Port-au-Prince from the rest of Haiti at its will.[15]

On 12 May 2021, Chérizier was reportedly wounded during a gunfight with a rival group. A Doctors Without Borders facility in Martissant, Port-au-Prince, denied rumors that he had received medical treatment at the facility.[21]

Massacres

The G9 has allegedly been responsible for numerous massacres of civilians in Haiti. These include a May 2020 massacre across various neighborhoods across Port-au-Prince that killed 6 to 34 people,[17] an August–September 2020 massacre that left 22 dead, and an April 2021 massacre after an attempted takeover of Bel Air in Port-au-Prince.[22]

The National Human Rights Defense Network (RNDDH), a human rights group based in Haiti, reported on the 2020–21 massacre in Bel Air committed by G9. Eighty-one people were killed in total. Thirty-six people were killed from August to December 2020 and 45 people from March to May 2021. 18 people were left missing. A massacre in Cité Soleil from January to May 2021 by G9 killed 44 people and left seven missing.[11] Human rights groups and victims have described the G9's tactics to include random killing of civilians, systematic rape, looting and torching villages, kidnapping, and dismemberment.[10]

Relationship with President Jovenel Moïse

The G9 was once closely allied with former President Jovenel Moïse and free from prosecution as long as they enforced street-level peace.[17] In investigating the 2020–21 Bel Air massacre and the 2021 Cité Soleil massacre, RNDDH reported that Haitian National Police officers did not intervene in the massacres after failing to receive orders from superiors and did not file any police reports on witness testimony, and that judicial authorities claimed to have received no complaints from any massacre victims.[11] The RNDDH received reports that police equipment was used to conduct the massacres.[11] It is alleged by some Haitians that President Jovenel Moïse was responsible for the massacres, using Chérizier's gang to repress government dissidents.[5]

In the weeks leading up to the assassination of Jovenel Moïse, the United Nations described gang violence as peaking at "unprecedented levels," and gang violence had caused a mass exodus of several thousands of people from Port-au-Prince.[23][24] On 23 June 2021, Chérizier declared that the G9 gang collective would lead an armed revolution[15] against Haiti's business and political elites. He described the G9 as filling the void left by government weakness and a force "to deliver Haiti from the opposition, the government, and the Haitian bourgeoisie."[25][26][27]

He gave this statement to local media outlets surrounded by gang members wielding machetes and guns, and the statement was posted on YouTube.[25][27] Chérizier publicly demanded Moïse's resignation from office a week before the assassination, calling for a "national dialogue" to redefine Haiti.[28] In the aftermath of the assassination, Chérizier publicly mourned Moïse, including leading a crowd of more than 1,000 demonstrators calling for justice against the perpetrators.[29]

2022 gang war with G-Pèp

Main article: 2022 Port-au-Prince gang battles

Beginning in July 2022, the G9 engaged in a gang war with rival gang G-Pèp for the control of Cité Soleil, Port-au-Prince. The resulting 2022 Port-au-Prince gang war resulted in at least 50 people dead.[30]

September–November 2022 Varreux fuel terminal blockade

Main article: 2022 Haitian crisis

On 12 September 2022, during the fuel shortages part of the 2022 Haitian crisis, the G9 seized control of the Varreux fuel terminal, the main gas terminal in Port-au-Prince and one of Haiti's main fuel terminals.[31][32] The G9 blockaded access to the terminal, cutting fuel supplies of about 10 million gallons of diesel and gasoline, and more than 800,000 gallons of kerosene to the rest of Haiti.[31] The blockade caused gas stations and schools to close, hospitals to reduce services due to running on limited power, and banks and grocery stores to run on a limited schedule.[31]

Chérizier in 2023

Chérizier initially demanded the resignation of President and Prime Minister Ariel Henry as conditions for the end of the blockade. After Henry requested foreign military aid to end the blockade, Chérizier changed his demands, to receive amnesty for arrest warrants issued for crimes allegedly committed by himself and other G9 members.[33][1][34]

In an interview, Jean Rebel Dorcénat of the Haitian government's National Commission for Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (CNDDR) said that the G9 also demanded government positions within Ariel Henry's cabinet.[35][1] After negotiations with Henry, the G9 ended the blockade in November.[32]

2024 unrest

Further information: Gang war in Haiti

In March 2024, Chérizier claimed responsibility for orchestrating attacks that led to the escape of over 4,700 inmates from Haiti's two largest prisons and killed around a dozen people.[36] Francisco Uribe, one of the few detainees who chose not to leave prison, said in a video posted to social media that "They are massacring people indiscriminately inside the cells".[37] The prison attacks were followed by the storming of Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince, which was repelled by security.[38] Chérizier stated that the goal was to capture Haiti's police chief and government ministers and prevent Prime Minister Ariel Henry's return to Haiti.[39]

The Associated Press reported that the G9 Family and affiliated gangs controlled around 80% of the capital city and were launching coordinated attacks on "once unthinkable targets like the Central Bank".[37] A state of emergency was declared on 3 March.[40] Amid the growing unrest, Chérizier declared former Haitian dictator François Duvalier as an inspiration and threatened a full-scale civil war unless Ariel Henry stepped down.[41] On 12 March, Henry yielded to the pressure and declared his resignation.[42] By this point, Chérizier was described a "warlord" and one of the most powerful figures in Haiti; however, he declared in television interviews that he was currently not interested in becoming President of Haiti.[4]

Sanctions

On 10 December 2020, the United States Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions on Chérizier and two senior Haitian government officials who allegedly provided police equipment, guns, and vehicles for massacres against the Haitian people.[43]

On 21 October 2022, the United Nations Security Council unanimously imposed its first sanctions on Haiti in five years (Resolution 2653), establishing a one-year travel ban, asset freeze and arms embargo on Jimmy Chérizier and other persons or entities designated by a newly established Security Council sanctions committee.[44][45]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Coto, Dánica (21 October 2022). "EXPLAINER: Who's behind Haiti's most powerful gang alliance?". Associated Press. The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on 14 November 2022. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  2. ^ Coto, Dánica (7 June 2019). "Leader or killer? A day with 'Barbecue' in Haiti's capital". Associated Press News. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  3. ^ Simeon Tegel (12 March 2024). "Haiti warlord Jimmy 'Barbecue' Chérizier set to take advantage of power vacuum". Telegraph. Archived from the original on 14 March 2024. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  4. ^ a b Anne Demmer (15 March 2024). "Ein Warlord, der Haiti kontrollieren will". Tagesschau (in German). Archived from the original on 15 March 2024. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
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  9. ^ Al Jazeera Staff (21 October 2022). "Who is Haiti's sanctioned gang leader Jimmy 'Barbecue' Cherizier?". www.aljazeera.com. Archived from the original on 14 November 2022. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
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  18. ^ Cherizier, Jimmy (10 June 2020). Jimmy CHERIZIER Alyas BARBECUE ap esplike kisa ki G9 an Fanmi e Alye a [Jimmy CHERIZIER aka BARBECUE explains the G9 Family and Allies] (Internet video) (in Haitian Creole). Haiti. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
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  27. ^ a b Cherizier, Jimmy (10 June 2020). Jimmy CHERIZIER Alyas BBQ frape pyel atè poul di Pèp la nan grangou li pral chache sak pou li #G9 (Internet video). Haiti. Archived from the original on 28 August 2021. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  28. ^ "Haiti Prime Minister Appeals for Calm After President Shot Dead". Voice of America. 7 July 2021. Archived from the original on 7 July 2021. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  29. ^ Sanon, Evens (26 July 2021). "Haiti arrests top security official in slain president probe". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 28 August 2021. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  30. ^ Joseph, Murdith (14 July 2022). "Local officials beg for help after gangs leave 50 dead, 100 hurt". The Haitian Times. Archived from the original on 14 November 2022. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  31. ^ a b c Coto, Dánica (6 November 2022). "Haiti gang leader to lift fuel blockade amid shortages". AP News. Archived from the original on 14 November 2022. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  32. ^ a b Etant Dupain; Hande Atay Alam (4 November 2022). "Critical Haiti gas terminal freed after weeks of talks with G9 gang leader". CNN. Archived from the original on 6 November 2022. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  33. ^ "Haiti hospitals prepare to close as gangs blockade fuel supplies". Al-Jazeera. 27 September 2022. Archived from the original on 20 February 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  34. ^ Coto, Dánica (11 October 2022). "Haiti's request for troops resurrects troubled history of foreign interventions". Associated Press. PBS NewsHour. Archived from the original on 27 October 2022. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  35. ^ "Les gangs demandent amnistie et postes au gouvernement, rapporte Jean Rebel Dorcénat de la CNDDR". Le Nouvelliste. 13 October 2022. Archived from the original on 15 November 2022. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  36. ^ El Hammar Castano, Aicha; Rivers, Matt; Winsor, Morgan (4 March 2024). "Haiti declares state of emergency, imposes nighttime curfew amid surging violence". ABC News. Archived from the original on 4 March 2024. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  37. ^ a b Sanon, Evens; Luxama, Pierre-Richard (5 March 2024). "Gangs in Haiti try to seize control of main airport in newest attack on key government sites". The Associated Press. Archived from the original on 6 March 2024. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  38. ^ Buschschlüter, Vanessa (5 March 2024). "Haiti gangs try to take over Port-au-Prince airport". BBC News. Archived from the original on 5 March 2024. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  39. ^ Jones, Sam (4 March 2024). "Haiti declares state of emergency after thousands of dangerous inmates escape". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 4 March 2024. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  40. ^ "Haiti state of emergency in effect after police killings, massive prison break". CBC News. 4 March 2024. Archived from the original on 6 March 2024. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  41. ^ "Haiti's top gang leader warns of "civil war that will lead to genocide" unless prime minister steps down". CBS News. 6 March 2024. Archived from the original on 6 March 2024. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  42. ^ Hu, Caitlin Stephen; Rios, Michael (12 March 2024). "Haiti's leader to resign as gangs run rampant through country engulfed in crisis". CNN. Archived from the original on 13 March 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  43. ^ "Treasury Sanctions Serious Human Rights Abusers on International Human Rights Day". U.S. Department of the Treasury. United States Department of the Treasury. Archived from the original on 11 December 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  44. ^ "UN Authorizes Sanctions on Haitian Gangs". VOA. 21 October 2022. Archived from the original on 14 November 2022. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  45. ^ Al Jazeera Staff. "UN sanctions Haiti top gang leader Jimmy 'Barbecue' Cherizier". www.aljazeera.com. Archived from the original on 14 November 2022. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
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