One of Haiti\u2019s most powerful gang leaders says he would consider laying down weapons if armed groups were allowed to take part in talks to establish a new government.<\/p>\n
Groups led by Jimmy Ch\u00e9rizier, also known as Barbecue, are in control of most of the capital Port-au-Prince.<\/p>\n
He predicted the violence which has gripped Haiti in recent weeks could escalate in the coming days.<\/p>\n
However, he told Sky News: \u201cWe are ready for solutions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Haiti, an impoverished Caribbean nation home to more than 11 million people, has been without a prime minister since 12 March.<\/p>\n
Ariel Henry resigned after being blocked by armed gangs from returning from Kenya, where he had signed a deal to import a military peacekeeping force in a bid to restore law and order.<\/p>\n
Gangs have capitalised on the power vacuum and expanded their control over swathes of the country, which has effectively been rendered lawless in places.<\/p>\n
A Presidential Transitional Council has been established to draw up a plan to return Haiti to democratic rule, backed by other Caribbean nations and the US.<\/p>\n
US guns pour into Haiti, fuelling surge in violence
\n\u2018I go to bed with an empty stomach\u2019 \u2013 Haiti hunger spreads
\nThe gangsters and rebels jostling over power in Haiti
\nMr Ch\u00e9rizier \u2013 the most prominent figure in a loose alliance of gangs known as Viv Ansanm (Live Together), which is in control of around 80% of Port-au-Prince \u2013 believes his group should have a seat at the table in any future talks.<\/p>\n
He told Sky News: \u201cIf the international community comes with a detailed plan where we can sit together and talk, but they do not impose on us what we should decide, I think that the weapons could be lowered.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said he was \u201cnot proud\u201d of the spiralling violence in Haiti, and warned the crisis could continue if groups like his \u2013 which rail against \u201ccorrupt politicians\u201d \u2013 are not part of a future government.<\/p>\n
He also said any Kenyan forces drafted into the country to bolster security would be considered \u201caggressors\u201d and \u201cinvaders\u201d.<\/p>\n
The situation in Haiti has been described as \u201ccataclysmic\u201d by the United Nations in a report issued earlier this week.<\/p>\n
It said there had been more than 1,500 people killed and 800 injured in the first three months of 2024.<\/p>\n
The report detailed the \u201charrowing practices\u201d of the gangs, which are accused of using extreme violence and sexual abuse as a means of punishment and control.<\/p>\n
Aid groups have reported difficulty in getting food and water into the capital, warning that millions are unable to find sustenance, with some on the verge of famine.<\/p>\n
Haiti: The basics<\/p>\n
The Caribbean country shares a border with the Dominican Republic and has an estimated population of 11.5 million
\nIt has a land area of 27,800 sq km, which is slightly smaller than Belgium and about the same size as the US state of Maryland
\nChronic instability, dictatorships and natural disasters in recent decades have left Haiti the poorest nation in the Americas
\nAn earthquake in 2010 killed more than 200,000 people and caused extensive damage to infrastructure and the economy
\nA UN peacekeeping force was put in place in 2004 to help stabilise the country and only withdrew in 2017
\nIn July 2021, President Jovenel Mo\u00efse was assassinated by unidentified gunmen in Port-au-Prince. Amid political stalemate, the country continues to be wracked by unrest and gang violence<\/p>\n
The post Haiti: Gang leader Jimmy \u2018Barbecue\u2019 Ch\u00e9rizier demands peace talks role<\/a> first appeared on KBC<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" One of Haiti\u2019s most powerful gang leaders says he would consider laying down weapons if armed groups were allowed to take part in talks to establish a new government. Groups led by Jimmy Ch\u00e9rizier, also known as Barbecue, are in control of most of the capital Port-au-Prince. He predicted the violence which has gripped Haiti […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20231","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20231","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20231"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20231\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20231"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20231"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20231"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}