Haiti Prime Minister flees country after mob boss Barbecue frees 4,000 prisoners

06 March 2024 , 04:56

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Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry has fled (Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Haiti's Prime Minister has fled the country after a brutal mob boss known as Barbecue set thousands of prisoners free in a bid to topple the government.

Barbecue, who is also known as Jimmy Cherizier, recently claimed responsibility for the outbreak of violence after 4,000 inmates were set free. He has become unhappy with the state of the country and says the real enemies are those "in suits". He also wants PM Ariel Henry to answer for what's being done to it reports the Mirror US.

Now Henry has fled to San Juan, Puerto Rico, when the Dominican government said no to letting his plane land in the Dominican Republic. Meanwhile, Cherizier, the gang leader, still wants to kick out the Prime Minister, who has been in charge since President Jovenel Moise got killed last year.

Chaos has hit the street as a mob boss tries to overthrow the government (AFP via Getty Images)

To battle the gangs that now rule most of the capital city, he went all the way to Kenya to find soldiers willing to help him out. Mr Henry has been hoping for this backup since October but hasnt set a new election date yet.

Meanwhile, Barbecue has sworn to catch the police chief of the capital city and others in power to stop Mr Henry from ever coming back to the country.

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Cherizier, known as Barbecue, leads a group called G9 Family and Allies. It's believed they have more guns than the police in Haiti. "The real gangs are not the men with guns you see here," he said. "The real gangs are the men in suits. The real gangs are the officials in the national palace, the real gangs are the members of the opposition."

PM Henry has asked other countries for help by providing soldiers (AFP via Getty Images)

In a video, Cherizier said he wanted to tie up the police chief and government ministers and stop Mr Henry from coming back to Haiti. He said: "On behalf of the various armed groups in the country, I announce the return of the 'Viv Ansanm' coalition. Today, February 29, 2024, we launch the battle that must overthrow the Prime Minister and his government, this is our first objective.

"Today, I declare that the hunt for ministers and the Director General of the PNH, Frantz Elbe, is open. We must stop them and send them to join Ariel Henry where he is so that he never returns to the country. The Haitian people must be liberated. We will do it with our weapons.

People are protesting in the streets over the state of the country (AFP via Getty Images)

"All the armed groups in the country, in the provinces and in Port-au-Prince, are more united than ever. We, the armed men, have decided to take the future into our own hands."

Cherizier is the only Haitian under UN sanctions because, as the Security Council says, he "has engaged in acts that threaten the peace, security, and stability of Haiti and has planned, directed, or committed acts that constitute serious human rights abuses."

He urged the Ministry of Education to reopen schools in Cite Soleil and other areas affected by gang violence. These schools have been shut down due to the danger posed by gangs who are blamed for rape and murder, causing nearly 200,000 Haitians to lose their homes to fires set by these gangs.

Sean McPolin