Haiti gang chief uses TikTok to expand control over crime-ridden capital by ... trends now
A Haitian warlord has been using rap videos to expand his control over the crisis hit country as gang violence continues to choke the capital.
Johnson Andre, also known as Izo, had been using accounts on sites like TikTok to recruit foot soldiers and sow further terror in the country, according to researchers.
Alongside his 'Five Seconds Gang', Andre has been responsible for disseminating videos that have astonished even the most experienced of officials.
On Friday, his TikTok account was banned, which boasted 227,000 followers according to the Wall Street Journal.
The outlet reported that his content involved him rapping about killing police officers, showing off new military grade weapons and ridiculing Haitian politicians.
Police in the country, the UN, and the U.S. Government all blame Andre for part of the ongoing chaos, and have accused him of murder, rape, and drug-running.
Johnson Andre, also known as Izo, had been using accounts on sites like TikTok to recruit foot soldiers and sow further terror in the country, according to researchers
Alongside his 'Five Seconds Gang', Andre has been responsible for disseminating videos that have astonished even the most experienced of officials
According to a report by the UN, his videos have helped lure more members to his gang, who work for food, guns, phones and money
His compound in the capital Port-au-Prince also features prominently, as he counts $100 bills and drinks from cognac bottles
The United Nations said in a report seen by the outlet that his Five Seconds Gang has been the most active in the recruitment of child soldiers.
After being sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department in December, they said his gang had been responsible for 1,035 cases of sexual violence in 2022 alone.
Videos seen by the WSJ include him saying: 'Gonna whack them all. Going to snort cocaine and kill everyone who hates me.'
Andre and members of his gang are also seen re-enacting a thwarted police raid that left an officer dead in a choreographed and edited video.
Other videos shared to his X profile and seen by DailyMail.com show gang members clutching assault rifles and setting fire to vehicles.
His compound in the capital Port-au-Prince also features prominently, as he counts $100 bills and drinks from cognac bottles.
Vanda Felbab-Brown, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution who researches armed groups in the Americas and Africa, said: 'With others, it’s a message of social justice. With Izo, it’s, ‘The world has gone to hell, and I’m the biggest devil'.
Felbab-Brown also told the outlet that his use of social media mirrors strategies that helped other organizations including cartels expand their footprint.
She said the videos are used to stoke fear amongst rivals and serve as advertising to cocaine smugglers to use Haiti as a transit hub for drug shipments.
