Haiti gangs threaten ‘civil war’ as unrest spreads

Jimmy Chérizier made the threat as members of his gang tried to seize the capital’s airport to stop Ariel Henry from returning from abroad. The gang leader is behind the violence blighting the Haitian capital. He warned there will be a civil war if the prime minister, Ariel Henry, does not step down. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk says situation is ‘beyond untenable’ Aid groups say about 15,000 people, among them many young children, have been displaced from their homes.

U. S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller urged a transition to prepare for a multinational security support mission. Tension remains high in Haiti, with Jimmy Barbecue calling for Ariel Henry’s resignation.

The G9 alliance which he leads has unleashed a wave of violence, including attacks on police stations. Thousands of inmates escaped in a mass jailbreak on Saturday. The country has been blighted by gang violence for years. Barbecue fears Mr Henry would use the forces to stay in power.

The gang leader has been opposed to the prime minister since he took over power. Mr Henry was aiming to agree a deal for Kenya to lead a multinational police operation to quell the violence in Haiti. Haiti has no elected government officials. No elections have been held since 2016 in the country.

The vacuum created by the lack of elected officials has been filled by gangs. Kidnappings for ransom are common and many schools and hospitals have had to close due to a lack of security. The UN’s Chief Humanitarian Coordinator in Haiti, Ulrika Richardson, said violence was being used. Violence has so far been mainly concentrated in the capital and its environs.

But there have also been reports of shootings in the town of Jeremie, in the south west. The United Nations Security Council said it would hold an emergency meeting later on Wednesday to discuss the violence.

Read More