Mired in poverty, corruption and violence, Haiti is one of the most dangerous countries in the world. The murder of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021 speaks to the level of threat. Real power lies in the hands of business elites and violent gangs.
The G9 gang coalition controls large swathes of the capital, Port-au-Prince. Its leader is Jimmy Cherizier, otherwise known as Barbecue - the most powerful gang leader in Haiti. Cherizier is in constant warfare with other gangs, the signs in his own territory. As he shows reporter Prue Lewarne around, she notes a “house burnt by rival gang G-PEP.”
Those bearing the brunt of this destruction are, of course, local people. At two separate hospitals, harrowing accounts of suffering. “There’s just no hope” says surgeon, Xavier Kernizan, who treats victims of gunshot wounds daily. “When you step out in the morning, you don’t know if you’re going to come home.” Yet, Cherizier wants to encourage visitors to Haiti. “We need a country where we can have a lot of tourists to come to visit Haiti because Haiti is a beautiful country,” he says. With civilians at breaking point, and the UN having imposed sanctions on Cherizier, accusing him of human rights abuses, the gang leader’s vision in stark contrast to reality.
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Prudence Lewarne – Ref. 8507
