FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
With an automatic rifle slung over his shoulder and a fixed gaze into the camera, Jimmy "Barbecue" Chérizier likes to call himself a revolutionary. He claims the nickname comes from the barbecue chicken stand his mother ran, but his enemies believe it stems from his habit of setting fire to rivals' houses while they were still inside.
The leader of "Viv ansanm" ("Let's Live Together"), Haiti's most powerful criminal coalition, is expanding his grip on Port-au-Prince and large parts of the country. At 48, the former police officer is the face of the violence that has ravaged the Caribbean nation for years. Now, the United States has offered a $5 million reward for information leading to his capture.
The man who overthrew a government
In February 2024, his group "Viv Ansanm", formed by the merger of rival groups G9 and G-Pép, launched an offensive against strategic infrastructure in the capital. The clashes led to the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry and the creation of a Transitional Presidential Council. Not even the deployment of the Kenya-led Multinational Security Support Mission stopped the advance of his forces, which have occupied neighborhoods and communes of Port-au-Prince since January.
On August 7, as the Transitional Presidential Council was changing its president, Chérizier attempted to attack the neighborhood where Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé's office and offices are located. As the city woke to the sound of automatic weapons fire, the gang leader appeared on video, urging residents to let his men pass. "We must overthrow these thieves who are running the country. The people must help us in the fight to liberate Haiti," he said.
The La Saline Massacre
The name "Barbecue" is associated with one of the bloodiest episodes in Haiti's recent history. In 2018, in the La Saline neighborhood, he is suspected of setting fire to 400 homes, killing 71 people in an attack in which at least seven women were raped. The bodies of many of the victims were burned, dismembered and fed to animals. The charges against him include murder, robbery, extortion, kidnapping, drug trafficking, rape. According to US prosecutors, Chérizier and an accomplice are suspected of collecting funds from the Haitian diaspora in the United States, channeling them through intermediaries to pay gang members and buy weapons.
From the streets to politics
As of 2020, Viv Ansamn has controlled much of the capital. In May 2025, the US State Department designated it a foreign terrorist organization. Earlier this year, the group announced its intention to become a political party. Chérizier is also under sanctions by the UN, Canada and the UK, which accuse him of inciting violence in the country. If arrested, he could be extradited to the United States, but remains protected by his own people and his local power network.
A country in collapse
Since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021, Haiti has been in chaos: a breakdown of public order, a collapse of health services, a food crisis and escalating gang violence. The Kenyan-led international mission, supported by the UN, has failed to regain control of Port-au-Prince. According to the United Nations, 5.7 million people - more than half the population - face acute food insecurity and over a million are internally displaced.
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