Haiti gangs: Democracy is dead in Haiti. Following the assassination of Haiti’s then-president, Jovenel Moïse, Ariel Henry assumed the office of acting prime minister on 20 July. And, what a fall Haiti has taken in two years.
Bloody turf battles have killed hundreds of people and forced thousands out of their homes. Currently, 60% of the nation’s capital is controlled by gangs. And Henry is simply praying to remain President till eternity. To make matters worse, Police forces have also opened a new front against Haiti gangs. And the people continue to suffer.
According to a report, hundreds of Haitian police officers have blocked the streets and forced their way into the country’s main airport. The protesters in civilian clothes, who identified themselves as the police, first attacked Prime Minister Ariel Henry’s residence, and then stormed the airport as Henry arrived from a trip to Argentina. The group’s leader, Jimmy “Barbecue” Cherizier, is a former police officer. He has been the target of sanctions by the U.S. Treasury Department for his role in a 2018 massacre.
Protesters in civilian clothes who identified themselves as police blocked streets and forced their way into Haiti's main airport to protest against the recent killing of officers by armed gangs https://t.co/I9WyPHGgH2 pic.twitter.com/LMZUAFO7I3
— Reuters (@Reuters) January 27, 2023
Enraged protestors want end of gang wars
According to the Haitian national police, at least ten officers have been killed in the last week; one is still missing and another has severe gunshot wounds from a recent shootout.
The killings are the most recent instance of rising violence in the Caribbean country. It has been engulfed in gang wars and political chaos since President Jovenel Mose’s assassination in 2021. More than 80 policemen have been killed brutally by gangs over the last two years.
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Moise’s unelected successor Ariel Henry has called for a global military operation to dismantle the gangs, but no nation is willing to send troops to the region.
It is important to recognize the grave danger to the nation, as diplomats of neighboring nations are now being targeted by both policemen and gangs. Bahamas’ foreign ministry said the country’s Prime Minister had ordered all Bahamians, including its diplomatic personnel, to leave Haiti as soon as security conditions permit.
Haitian police had earlier, stopped the neighboring country’s local charge d’affaires and taken their vehicle and weapons.
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The battle of Haiti is now taking a really dangerous turn. Earlier it was just Gangs vs. Authorities. But now, it is Henry vs. Gangs vs. Police. All three want the control of Haiti in their hands. But, in this chaos, the one who suffers the most is the Haitian public.
Gang wars have long been a problem in the small island nation. But since Moise was gunned down and Henry took over, things have only gotten worse. The police, who had previously attempted to combat the gangs, are now either joining them or turning into gangs. Henry is daydreaming, that with the support of his Western allies, he will continue to be President.
Between the President, the police and the gangs, the Haitian public is the real victim. They have been forced into a pitiful condition, they have no control over. Now, only God can save Haiti from itself.
