Haitian security forces bomb gang leader’s stronghold in Port-au-Prince

Haitian security forces last Wednesday bombed three homes linked to notorious gang leader Jimmy “Barbecue” Cherizier.

Unverified video footage shared online showed a massive explosion destroying at least one building in the Delmas 6 neighborhood, a longtime stronghold for Cherizier’s armed groups, and affecting nearby houses as a large smoke cloud rose into the sky. Authorities have not confirmed any casualties or arrests.

The operation came hours after the Haitian National Police (PNH) announced it was targeting Cherizier’s residence. Police said the raid involved a coalition of forces, including the Armed Forces of Haiti (FAD’H), the U.N.-backed Gang Suppression Force (GSF), the prime minister’s task force—responsible for drone-based explosive operations for nearly a year—and a private military company. Police later entered the homes and recovered equipment, but Cherizier, 48, was not present during the operation.

A former police officer, Cherizier has become the leader and spokesman of Viv Ansanm, a coalition of armed groups controlling much of the capital and accused of killing hundreds, committing rapes, and violently confronting authorities in a bid to challenge the transitional government following the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021. He has branded himself as an anti-elite revolutionary and sought to transform Viv Ansanm into a political party.

Cherizier is among the first Haitian gang leaders sanctioned by the United Nations, and the United States has offered a US$5 million reward for information leading to his arrest.

The operation comes weeks ahead of the February 7 deadline for the current transitional government’s mandate to end. A plan for Haiti’s political succession has not yet been announced.

Recently, the Caribbean Community’s (CARICOM) Eminent Persons Group (EPG) urged all stakeholders in Haiti to put patriotism above other considerations if Haitians are to determine their own future.