Gang Leader: Haiti Is Heading to Civil War Unless Henry Resigns
HAVANA TIMES – Haiti’s most powerful gang leader has warned the country is heading to a civil war unless Haiti’s deeply unpopular unelected Prime Minister Ariel Henry resigns, as a violent uprising continues to grow in Port-Au-Prince. On Tuesday, Henry landed in Puerto Rico after apparently being unable to fly back to Haiti, where armed groups attacked the international airport on Monday. Henry left Haiti last week for Kenya, where he discussed a deal to bring a U.N. force of 1,000 Kenyan police to the island nation. Haitian gang leader Jimmy Chérizier, who is known as Barbecue, issued a new threat to Henry.
Jimmy Chérizier: “If Ariel Henry doesn’t step down, the country will suffer a genocide. If he doesn’t step down, if the international community continues to support him, they will lead us directly into a civil war that will end in genocide. The international community, especially the United States, Canada, France and the Core Group, will be responsible for all the people who die in Haiti.”
On Tuesday Doctors Without Borders announced it would scale up its medical operations in Port-Au-Prince. The group said the recent violence has led to a massive number of casualties.