A prominent gang boss in Haiti has sent a menacing warning to political figures who are considering joining the country’s transition council, which is now in formation. The country has been rocked by increasing levels of violence in recent weeks.
Port-au-Prince, the nation’s capital, has been more subdued since unpopular Prime Minister Ariel Henry said that he would resign once the council was in place. However, local media sources indicate that a fire broke out in the prison this morning.
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Videos showed the facility, where armed men had released the inmates earlier this month, spewing heavy black smoke. It was not immediately clear what caused the fire or whether any inmates were still housed in the facility.
The highly armed gangs have strengthened their hold on the capital, and the Caribbean nation is trying to find a solution to a protracted political and social crisis that has forced thousands of people to flee their homes.
Jimmy “Barbeque” Cherizier, the leader of a gang coalition, made the remarks on Wednesday. They were disseminated via a long, seven-minute audio clip that was uploaded on the messaging app WhatsApp.
“Don’t you have any shame?” Cherizier stated, addressing the lawmakers he claimed were interested in joining the council. “You have taken the country where it is today. You have no idea what will happen,” he noted.
“I’ll know if your kids are in Haiti if your wives are in Haiti … if your husbands are in Haiti,” With a somewhat menacing tone, he spoke. “If you’re gonna run the country all your family ought to be there.”
Cherizier stated in his remarks that Henry’s departure was simply “a first step in the battle.”
The political parties and various social groups that will comprise the nine-member transition committee, which will succeed the unelected Henry, have been listed by the regional body CARICOM. Official selections have not yet been announced, but Caribbean leaders and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken mediated negotiations over the council.
