Conflicts & War

Haiti’s gangs demand PM’s resignation as he reappears in Puerto Rico

San Juan, Mar. 5 (EFE) – After Puerto Rican government sources confirmed the presence of Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry in San Juan on Tuesday, Haitian gang leader and ex-cop Jimmy Chérizier, known as Barbecue, appeared before the media to demand the premier’s resignation.

On Tuesday afternoon, Puerto Rico government spokeswoman Sheila Angleró confirmed to EFE that Henry had landed at the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport but did not provide further details.

The Haitian prime minister’s whereabouts had been unknown for several days after he left Kenya on Saturday, where he had traveled to discuss the deployment of the Multinational Security Assistance Mission in Haiti.

After Henry surfaced in Puerto Rico, Jimmy Chérizier, leader of the G9 gang and the gang coalition Vivre Ensemble’ (Living Together), demanded the PM’s resignation and threatening with a civil war.

“If Ariel Henry does not step down, the country is headed for genocide. If the international community continues to support Ariel Henry, we are heading straight for a civil war that will end in genocide,” the gang leader told reporters.

Barbecue appeared before the press, holding a powerful rifle and a long-range weapon, and stressed that the international community, especially the United States, Canada, and France, would be responsible for all the people killed in the country.

“We want Ariel Henry to listen to reason,” the leader of the coalition of gangs insisted while asserting that he has no limits in his fight against the current government.

“We will fight Ariel Henry to the last drop of our blood,” he added.

Haiti has been experiencing an escalation of armed gang violence that began Thursday after Bahamian Prime Minister Phillip Davis said during the Caribbean Community summit that Ariel Henry was committed to holding elections before Aug. 31, 2025.

The statement prompted gang leader and ex-cop Jimmy Chérizier to announce the start of a “revolution” to oust Henry.

The Haitian government on Sunday declared a state of emergency and a 72-hour curfew in the Western Department, where the capital Port-au-Prince is, after criminal gangs seized the country’s largest prison on Saturday, facilitating the escape of thousands of inmates.

The curfew remains in place, but it has not prevented violent shootings in the capital.

Late Monday, gangs opened fire on police stations and also on officers outside Toussaint Louverture International Airport in the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince.

An armored truck could be seen on the tarmac firing at gangs trying to enter the airport as scores of employees and other workers fled from the whizzing bullets.

The airport was closed during the attack, with no flights or passengers, and remained so on Tuesday. EFE

mv/mcd

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