Haiti is suffering an escalation in violence. Here, Sky’s chief correspondent recalls the moment he came face to face with the gang boss leading the anti-government uprising.
We were told to wait on a street corner and stay in our car.
It was a hot day on the edge of one of the toughest areas in Haiti‘s capital Port-au-Prince.
The streets were full of people criss-crossing busy roads, pausing to buy food from street vendors, or browsing the goods on offer from shabby shops and store fronts.
I noticed a motorcycle pass us, and then stop and turn around. It happened a few times, and our driver Etienne indicated we were being watched.
After half an hour or so, the motorbike pulled up alongside us and told us to follow.
We turned off the main street and into a myriad of alleyways. On the corners, masked men with machine guns stared as we followed the bike.
We were then flagged down, got out of our car, and were told to wait. Another man, this one carrying a pistol, then approached us and told us to follow him. We turned a corner, and behind him, a burly man walked towards us.
He was casually dressed and was wearing two large diamond earrings and carrying a revolver.
I shook his hand.
It was January 2023, and this was my first meeting with Jimmy Cherizier – the Haitian gang boss known universally as Barbecue.
The presence of Haiti’s gangs is almost impossible to escape in Port-au-Prince
Folklore says his nickname comes from the way he treated his victims; his friends say it is actually because his mum ran a fried chicken stall and he has had the nickname since he was a child.
He is the same gang boss leading a violent anti-government uprising that has seen two jailbreaks, violence, and mayhem on the streets over the last few days.
The beleaguered government of this impoverished Caribbean country has declared a state of emergency and curfew.
Barbecue
The gangs say they will go for government buildings and the airport next, and are using a divide-and-conquer type tactic, stretching the already stretched police forces.
Barbecue is a former policeman, now gang boss who is the acknowledged mouthpiece for a coalition of gangs called the G9, which he describes as a group of armed young men and women with an ideology to change the lives of those who live in Haiti’s notorious slums.
Haiti has been in a bad place for years and there hasn’t been an elected controlling authority since President Jovenel Moise was assassinated in 2021.
This most recent wave of gang violence has spiked because the country’s prime minister Ariel Henry has been in Kenya finalising plans for a peacekeeping force to come from Africa to Haiti, with the financial support of the United States.
When I met Barbecue last year, he warned that sending foreign troops would only lead to more violence.
“I think if we have an intervention, the international community is understanding enough to sit down and have a decent conversation with everyone,” he told me.
“But if they try to resolve it with guns, I think, certainly, many people in the slums could die, and they will kill mostly innocent people, more than the guilty ones.”
Barbecue is engaging and really is a natural politician.
He sees himself as a revolutionary fighting against the dark corruption of government and oligarch businessmen but make no mistake he is an out-and-out gangster – even if he sees himself as a Robin Hood-type figure.
“We took up guns to change the living conditions of those less fortunate in the slums, we said it’s to change their lives, we don’t use guns to kidnap people,” he insisted at the time.
Read more: The people fleeing gang rule in Haiti
With no elected civilian government, chaos on the streets, and a group of gangs who control vast swathes of the country, to all intents and purposes Haiti is now controlled by a federation of gang bosses – which is arguably a world first.
At the helm is Barbecue – a man who, when I met him, I knew straightaway was a force to be reckoned with.
:: Images by Dominique van Heerden and Toby Nash.
This is such an important story and Danny Gold did an incredible job to provide more visibility to the struggles of Haitians.Haiti is in urgent need. The country has been struggling with security issues, such as poverty and gang violence, for a long time. The article was well written and very informative. The journalist managed to capture the human side of the story and put a face to the crisis. I hope this will help the Haitian people to receive the support they desperately need.
This is a biased article that only tells one side of the story. The journalist failed to provide any context or background information on the situation in Haiti. As a result, the article is full of inaccuracies and misrepresentations. I would not recommend this article to anyone who is interested in learning more about the situation in Haiti.
The article provides a good overview of the current situation in Haiti. However, it could have benefited from a more in-depth analysis of the root causes of the crisis. The journalist also could have done more to explore the different perspectives on the situation. Overall, the article is a good starting point for anyone who wants to learn more about Haiti.
I loved this article! It was so funny and informative. I learned a lot about Haiti and the gang boss. I can’t wait to read more articles by this journalist.
The journalist’s assertion that the gang boss is leading a violent anti-government uprising is highly questionable. There is no evidence to support this claim, and it seems to be based on speculation. The journalist would have been better off providing a more balanced view of the situation.
This article is amazing! I love how the journalist was able to capture the human side of the story. I feel like I really understand the gang boss and his motivations.
This article is boring and repetitive. I couldn’t even finish reading it. The journalist should try to be more concise and engaging.
This article provides a good overview of the complex situation in Haiti. The journalist does a good job of providing context and background information. I would recommend this article to anyone who wants to learn more about Haiti.
I’m not sure what to make of this article. It’s a fascinating story, but I’m not sure if I believe everything the gang boss said. I would have liked to hear from other sources before I formed an opinion.
I can’t believe that a journalist would actually meet with a gang boss. This is a clear violation of journalistic ethics. The journalist should be ashamed of themselves for putting their own safety at risk for the sake of a story.
I can’t believe that the journalist actually met with a gang boss. This is so dangerous and irresponsible. The journalist could have been killed!
This article is biased and inaccurate. The journalist clearly has an agenda and is not interested in telling the truth. I would not recommend this article to anyone.
This article is hilarious! I love how the journalist makes fun of the gang boss. I can’t believe that someone would actually try to lead an uprising against the government.
This article is a joke. The journalist obviously has no idea what they’re talking about. The gang boss is a freedom fighter, not a criminal. The journalist should be ashamed of themselves for slandering a hero.