(MENAFN) On Wednesday, Haitian gang leader and former police officer Jimmy "Barbecue" Cherizier issued a warning of "civil war" if Premier Ariel Henry does not resign.
“If Ariel Henry doesn’t resign, if the international community continues to support him, we’ll be heading straight for a civil war that will lead to genocide,” Cherizier declared.
Cherizier's gang has made multiple attempts to seize control of Port-au-Prince's major airport in order to prevent Premier Ariel Henry from returning from abroad. Additionally, they have carried out attacks on prisons, police stations, government ministers, and other strategic locations.
Three days subsequent to Henry signing a bilateral agreement in Kenya aimed at finalizing details for the deployment of 1,000 Kenyan police officers to help restore order in Haiti, the Premier reportedly arrived safely in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he remains.
The United Nations informed reporters on Wednesday that the US government has requested Premier Ariel Henry to step down from office and “move forward on a political process that will lead to the establishment of a presidential transitional council that will lead to elections.”
Henry, who assumed office in 2021, has deferred promised elections. Since the weekend, Haiti has witnessed intense clashes between police forces and armed gangs, following the escape of over 4,500 inmates from two prisons. Among the escapees are gang members and individuals detained in connection with the assassination of Leader Jovenel Moise in 2021.
In response to the chaos, the government of Haiti declared a 72-hour state of emergency after armed groups, controlling 80 percent of the capital, facilitated the release of thousands of prisoners.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk disclosed on Wednesday that since the beginning of the year, 1,193 individuals have lost their lives due to gang violence, while 692 others have sustained injuries.
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