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Haiti: Gang leader launches armed bid to oust PM Ariel Henry

Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry (3rd-L) leaves the auditorium after speaking to students during a public lecture on bilateral engagement between Kenya and Haiti, at the United States International University (USIU) Africa, in Nairobi on March 1, 2024. (Photo: Simon Maina/ AFP)

By DW News | Saturday, March 2, 2024

Henry's government has blamed the security situation for the delay in arranging elections since the assassination of former Preisdent Jovenel Moise in the summer of 2021.

Haiti witnessed a second day of extreme violence on Friday as gangs looking to oust Prime Minister Ariel Henry rocked the capital Port-au-Prince with heavy gunfire near the city's international airport and a prison.

Haitian gang leader Jimmy Cherizier held a press conference on Friday and said that he would keep trying to remove Henry.

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"The battle will last as long as it needs to. We will keep fighting Ariel Henry. To avoid collateral damage, keep the kids at home," the powerful gang boss, known by the nickname Barbecue, said.

Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince saw another day of fighting as gangs looked to oust Prime Minister Ariel Henry. Gunmen targeted the international airport and police stations, forcing residents to flee their homes. pic.twitter.com/dcsXExWApw
— DW News (@dwnews) March 2, 2024

Cherizier, a former elite police officer runs a gang federation called G9 and Family and Allies. He disrupted the nation when he blocked its biggest oil terminal in 2022. He has faced sanctions from the United Nations and the United States Department of Treasury.

At least four police officers have been killed and dozens have been injured since the latest spurt of violence began. On Friday, a group of officers demonstrated in front of management offices, demanding the recovery of the bodies of their four colleagues who had been killed.

The fighting took place while Henry was out of the country, in Kenya trying to bolster support for a long-sought international policing and peacekeeping deployment that's being challenged in Kenyan courts.

A protester burns tyres during a demonstration calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry in Port-au-Prince on February 7, 2024. (Photo: Richard Pierrin/ AFP)

Gangs join forces in restless capital

In Port-au-Prince, more people are reported to have fled homes close to the fighting as burnt buses and barricades lay on the capital's streets.

The latest violence is part of a coordinated effort by gangs, coming together under the label "Vivre Ensemble" ("Living Together").

In recent years, armed gangs have taken over large parts of Haiti.

Haiti's National Police has only around 9,000 officers on duty at a time for a country with a population of 11 million, according to the UN.

Violence increased as Henry visited Kenya this week. The two nations earlier on Friday signed reciprocal agreements that Nairobi hopes will satisfy a Kenyan court's objections to its plan to send 1,000 police officers to Haiti, leading an international policing and peacekeeping mission.

People flee gang violence in the Petion-ville neighbourhood of Port-au-Prince on January 30, 2024. (Photo: Richard Pierrin/ AFP)

The UN had appealed unsuccessfully for months for a country to step up and lead such an operation.

In a statement, Prime Minister Henry's office said it was "outraged by the acts of violence and terror orchestrated by armed bandits," and expressed condolences to victims' families, saying the government would continue to work towards resolving the conflict.

The fresh fighting has also exacerbated a delicate supply situation in the country.

As per the UN, nearly half of Haiti's inhabitants are suffering from acute hunger.

The government of Henry has blamed the security situation in the country for the delay in arranging elections since the assassination of former Preisdent Jovenel Moise in the summer of 2021.