Haiti is beyond total collapse due to chaos and violence organised by criminal gangs.
The gangs have closed the airport, looted ports, public buildings and shops, and attacked about a dozen police stations. Roads have been closed, hampering food supplies, while 4,600 prisoners have been freed after prison attacks.
Prime Minister Ariel Henri remains trapped in Puerto Rico as gang members wreak havoc in his country, calling for his resignation and blocking dozens of trucks carrying food for the World Food Program.
The state of emergency around the capital Port-au-Prince was extended for a month.
So with Haiti’s government on the brink of collapse, the US and Caribbean states are scrambling to find a solution – including a plan for a transitional government – that would restore some degree of order to the country and allow the prime minister to return.
Experts estimate that up to 200 gangs operate in Haiti, about 20 of which are located in the capital Port-au-Prince. They range from small groups of about ten young men to organizations of about 1,500 members who have weekly salaries and automatic weapons and operate with an internal hierarchy and someone at the head.
The two main gangs – G-Pèp and G-9 families – control many of the poorest areas of the capital. These criminal groups and their allies, although sometimes working together, most often clash.
These gangs are historically associated with political parties: G-9 is associated with Haiti’s ruling Tèt Kale party, while G-Pèp is more supportive of opposition parties.
The G-9 and its allies have largely seized the ports and roads around the country’s main airport. It is now almost impossible to travel by road from Port-au-Prince to northern cities, as the gangs have taken control of the highway connecting North and South.
Prime Minister Ariel Henry last week left the country for Kenya, where he signed an agreement paving the way for an international force led by the African country to travel to Haiti to tackle the gangs.
Meanwhile, while Henri was away, the gang leaders announced the creation of a vague alliance called the “Vivre Ensemble” (“Living Together”). In addition, they launched coordinated attacks against state institutions with the aim of overthrowing the government and preventing the development of the aforementioned international power.
“They want to ‘swallow’ the neighborhoods one by one,” says Nicole M. Phillips, a lawyer specializing in the field of Human Rights as well as issues related to Haiti. “They want any government that will allow them to do that.”
The gangs also want to create a governing council to take over the country’s leadership, and they want to help choose the members of such a council so they can control it, says Robert Maga, who researches Haiti for various UN agencies.
The gangs have several leaders in different neighborhoods, but in recent days one of them named Jimmy Sergier, also known as “Barbecue”, has become the public face of the “Living Together” alliance.
He is a former police officer who is known for his ruthless character and has been accused of leading mass killings. The G-9, which he leads, controls downtown Port-au-Prince and has been accused of attacking neighborhoods friendly to opposition parties, looting homes, raping women, and indiscriminately executing people.
Sergier himself says he is leading an “armed revolution”. He even tried to take a more conciliatory tone this week, apologizing to people whose homes were ransacked by gangs – including his own – during the recent unrest.
“Our first step in this battle is to overthrow the government of Ariel Henri, as we have always advocated, and then we will ensure that the country has a strong state with a strong judicial system that will deal with corruption,” he said during an interview. Press. “We’re going to make sure we have a strong security system that allows everyone to go out when they want and come back [home] whenever they want. Our goal is to see another Haiti.”
It remains unclear, however, whether this somewhat softer approach was sincere or calculated, Mr. Maga notes, stressing, however, that it testifies to the adoption of a new attitude by Sergier
“We have seen Sergier and the G-9 evolve in recent weeks, adopting to a greater extent a political rhetoric,” the expert emphasizes.
This is a question that has a complicated answer. “We use the word ‘gang’ right now because it’s easy, everyone uses it and everyone knows it, but it doesn’t capture what’s going on,” says Romain Le Cour, who researches Haiti at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime. based in Geneva.
Most gang members are men in their 20s and 30s from poor urban neighborhoods where their future prospects are slim. They are often aligned with the interests of leading figures in the business elite and politicians, who pay them for various purposes, such as protecting cargo or rallying protesters.
It is even pointed out that political parties have in the past used gang members in elections either to force people to go to the polls or to prevent them from voting.
“In Haiti there is a long tradition of elites trying to create and support paramilitary groups, which in recent years have helped them satisfy their interests and have used violence to maintain a monopoly on certain products and certain political interests.” says Diego Da Rin, Haiti researcher at the International Crisis Group.
The Haitian police are facing severe shortages of weapons and personnel, despite $200 million in US funding. In the last two years, in fact, around 3,000 of its 15,000 members have left.
Finally, it is emphasized that while it has 47 armored cars, a recent visit by UN investigators found that less than half are operational.