The feared mob boss setting lawless Haiti ablaze: How ruthless ex-cop nicknamed ... trends now
Violence has gripped Haiti after armed gangs released thousands of inmates from the capital's main prison and 'massacred' dozens, with the government declaring a state of emergency as police struggle to contain the rampaging criminal mobs.
The chaos seems to have been largely orchestrated by a feared mob boss known as 'Barbecue' - a former cop turned gangster who has run the streets of Port-au-Prince for years.
The powerful gang leader, whose real name is Jimmy Cherizier, has called on criminal groups to unite to overthrow prime minister Ariel Henry, who has been overseas trying to rally support to stabilise his country's dire security situation.
Cherizier has claimed responsibility for the latest surge in attacks, and said his goal is to capture Haiti's police chief and government ministers and prevent Henry's return to the Caribbean nation.
Barbecue's threats will have struck fear into the hearts of many Haitians, with his reputation for burning people alive - something he has long denied - preceding him.
The former elite police officer is now the boss of a feared federation of gangs called the 'G-9 Family and Allies', formed around 2020 and thought to be better armed than the country's official police force.
Pictured: Leader of the 'G-9 and Family' gang, Jimmy 'Barbecue' Cherizier, raises a rifle with his gang members after giving a speech in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, October 22, 2021
A demonstrator holds up the flag of Haiti during protests against the country's prime minister on March 1
Bystanders gather around the bodies of alleged gang members that were set on fire by a mob after they were stopped by police while travelling in a vehicle in the Canape Vert area of Port-au-Prince on April 24, 2023
Former police officer Jimmy 'Barbecue' Cherizier, leader of the 'G9' coalition, leads a march surrounded by his security against Haiti's Prime Minister Ariel Henry, September 19, 2023
Haiti was plunged deeper into chaos over the weekend after a deadly gang assault on the capital's main prison allowed thousands of inmates to escape. Pictured: A man drives past a burning barricade in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, March 1
The Caribbean country's government declared a state of emergency on Sunday - as well as a night-time curfew - in a bid to regain control amid a surge in violence
Cherizier describes his men as a 'revolutionary force' which aims to wipe out the bourgeoisie and improve conditions for the poor, but his reign of violence has seen mass killings in some of Haiti's most poverty-stricken areas.
He was, at one point, shot in the chest, narrowly avoiding death, and surrounds himself with heavily-armed masked thugs for protection.
Barbecue's men are armed with high-powered rifles and are said to have endless supplies of ammunition - 'cartridges by the bucket' as one officer described it.
He is accused of ordering a series of bloody killings in recent years, and faces sanctions from the UN and the United States over 'threatening the police, security or stability of Haiti'.
As violence once again surges in Haiti, Cherizier this
