ONE of the most dangerous cities in the world has erupted into chaos again with vigilante locals seen chopping up the bodies of mobsters.
Haiti’s feared warlord Jimmy “Barbecue” Chérizier has vowed to launch a revolution in the Caribbean country as he prepares his gang for a terrifying coup.
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Over 150 people have been killed in the capital Port-au-Prince in the past week with violence continuing the plague the nation.
The roads are said to be littered with burnt corpses after vigilantes snapped back at Barbecue’s men and sliced them up before dumping their bodies in bonfires.
Vengeful residents and police officers in the suburb of Pétion-Ville reportedly stormed the streets hunting down members of the tyrant’s gang.
Around 28 of them were captured and ruthlessly taken out in the overnight mission, local media reported.
Pétion-Ville has been at the heart of the trouble ever since Barbecue attempted his coup as he launched a bid to take over the government.
He has voiced his ambitions to become president one day ever since the then-President of Haiti, Jovenal Moise, was assassinated by 28 gunmen as he slept.
He reignited serious fears over the safety of officials again on Tuesday as he threatened to hunt down any politician hiding out in the capital.
The warlord sent out a chilling social media post saying his men plan on going door-to-door to at very hotel.
He wrote: “If we can’t take the hotel, if I can’t find the owner of the hotel, then the employees of the hotel can pay.”
He also demanded the resignation of the entire ruling Transitional Presidential Council.
It is made up of nine people who have been chosen to govern Haiti in the absence of a president.
Following on the public revenge attack on the gang, the dozens of remaining members set about causing more havoc as the week dragged on.
Over 120 people have died since with over half of them being due to “exchanges of fire between gang members and police”, according to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Another 92 have been badly injured, the UN added.
Haitian armed groups are now said to control at least 80 per cent of Port-au-Prince and appear to be hellbent on keeping control of the capital.
Volker Türk, the UN high commissioner for human rights, made a devastating declaration today saying: “Port-au-Prince’s estimated four million people are practically being held hostage as gangs now control all the main roads in and out of the capital.
“The latest upsurge in violence in Haiti’s capital is a harbinger of worse to come.
“The gang violence must be promptly halted. Haiti must not be allowed to descend further into chaos.”
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For more than two years, warring factions have been tearing Port-au-Prince apart, turning every day into a fight for survival.
Severe warnings over the capabilities of the militia were made earlier this month after they attacked an airport.
Moving planes were hit by gunfire and left international airlines suspending all flights into the city.
A flight attendant was injured as gangs sprayed two planes.
Elsewhere in Haiti a number of upper-class areas have been invaded by gangs as they set fire to homes and leave families ripped apart.
As a result of the escalating gang violence, so-called self-defence brigades have taken justice into their own hands.
A UN report said at least 528 cases of lynching were reported in 2023 with hundreds more so far in 2024.
Back in February armed groups even raided a prison, releasing more than 5,000 inmates.
Since then, thugs have been setting government buildings alight and burning down police stations.
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As thousands have been slaughtered, assaulted, abused and severely threatened as unprecedented levels of criminality continue to overwhelm the country.
The violence has exacerbated an already grim humanitarian situation, with warnings of famine, malnutrition and the collapse of basic services.
Who is Barbecue?
HAITI’S Port-au-Prince currently lies in the hands of the feared Jimmy “Barbecue
Barbecue – who is rumoured to have earned his nickname for setting his victims on fire – envisions himself as a “revolutionary”, a self-professed “man of the people”.
His methods involve the killing, maiming and extorting of anyone unlucky enough to fall within his turf – turning every day into a constant battle for survival for residents.
The fired cop turned warlord has been taking to the streets with a renewed vengeance and a plan to overthrow the government.
He is currently sanctioned by the UK and its allies for “engaging in acts threatening the peace, security and stability of Haiti”.
And his influence is fast increasing as the country spirals into further turmoil sparked by the 2021 assassination of the country’s Prime Minister Jovenal Moïse.
Ever since, a security vacuum opened up and Barbecue has been greedily exploiting it, taking over territory and expanding his coalition with other gangs to wage further war.
G9 has also been responsible for repeatedly cutting Haiti off from its much-needed fuel supply by taking its main oil terminal hostage.
In a savage display of strength, Barbecue paralysed the country several times by preventing the distribution of food, water and vital medicines, plunging it into a deeper humanitarian crisis.
Barbecue’s criminal career dates back to his time as a police officer, InSight Crime reports.
He participated in an anti-gang operation in 2017, leading to the extrajudicial killing of nine civilians.
In 2018, he led a group of seven gangs in a massacre in La Saline, Haiti’s worst massacre in over a decade.
Barbecue was then fired from the police force and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
In 2019, he participated in a four-day attack across Port-au-Prince’s Bel-Air neighborhood, killing at least 24 people.
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