Haiti’s capital has been thrown into further chaos after its top warlord ordered his soldiers to “burn every house you find” – as the nation struggles to usher in a new government.
Notorious gang leader Jimmy “Barbeque” Cherizier, 47, was heard on social media messages on Sunday inciting his men to clash against police and burn down homes indiscriminately across Port-au-Prince, including Lower Delmas where he grew up.
“Continue burning the houses. Make everybody leave,” says a man in the audio recordings who is believed to be Cherizier.
“No need to know which house. Burn every house you find. Set the fire,” he adds, claiming to have sent jugs of gasoline to the gangsters.
Local residents have verified that houses have been set a blaze in the capital, with Radio Tele Galaxie reporting loud blasts and gunfire echoing across city hall as Lower Delmas has turned into “a battlefield between police and armed gangs.”
Along with the gunfights along city hall and the National Palace, gangsters also looted the State University of Haiti’s medical facility overnight, local Radio RFM reports.
With officials and human rights groups estimating that as much as 90% of the capital is now controlled by violent gangs, fears have grown that Cherizier has united them in an effort to seize control of the nation during a period of transition.
Sunday’s order to attack came ahead of the installation of a transitional council preparing to establish a new government after Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry fled the nation.
Following international pressure, including from the US, Henry, who was never elected to his position, agreed to step down on March 11, with a nine-member council prepared to take reins until a new leader can be elected.
Cherizier’s “G9 and Family” gang has led the opposition against Henry, with the gangs unifying under the “Viv Ansanm” alliance to battle police on the streets of Port-au-Prince.
Cherizier, a former member of the Haitian national police, previously claimed the violence at the capital will only stop as long as he and his men are included in the transition process.
There is still no official date set for the transitional council to take over as the members must be sworn in at the National Palace, which continues to be under siege by the gangs.
The UN estimates that more than 360,000 people have been displaced by the violence, with millions going hungry as key ports and supply routes remain blocked off.
The chaos has also resulted in the escape of nearly 4,000 prisoners who were being held at the National Penitentiary after the gangs stormed the facility.
The situation is likely to get worse after Haiti’s civil protection agency warned of heavy rains this week that could cause flooding across southern cities in the nation, including Port-au-Prince.
With Post wires