Haiti, a paradise of criminal gangs?

By Alex Sinhan Bogmis

ANKARA (AA) - Members of criminal gangs are spreading panic and chaos in Haiti, with groups of violent young people responsible for many crimes, such as armed robbery, assault, kidnapping and even murder.

They are taking control of some strategic areas of the country.

Last November, the Haitian police announced that they had regained control of the country's main oil terminal. Two months earlier, the terminal was under the control of Jimmy Cherizier, better known as "Barbecu," a former policeman who now heads a gang collective (G-9 an Fami e alye).

The blockage of the infrastructure had caused a major disruption in the distribution of water, while the country was hit by a wave of cholera.

Many people are forced to flee the country to escape the climate of violence imposed by gangs that profit from the corruption of political and security elites. The US and Canada have announced sanctions against senior political figures, including the current head of the Senate, Joseph Lambert, and his predecessor Gerard Latortue.

In October, Prime Minister Ariel Henry called on international partners to deploy an international armed force to fight the criminal gangs, a position supported by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, while numerous demonstrations have been held in recent years to call for the departure of the ruling class.

According to human rights organizations, approximately 60% of the territory in and around the capital Port-au-Prince has come under the control of armed gangs. The situation deteriorated further after the assassination of President Jovenel Moise on July 7, 2021 by an armed gang in his private residence in Port-au-Prince.

The UN reported no less than 934 murders committed by these gangs, which operate with impunity in the country, between January and July 2022. The proliferation of this phenomenon is facilitated by the incapacity of the police authorities. Some armed groups have more sophisticated equipment than the police, whose capacity to intervene remains limited. The gangs easily obtain weapons on the black market, mainly from the US and the Dominican Republic.

Nearly 200 people died in the space of two weeks between April and May 2022 as a result of gang clashes in Port-au-Prince, according to the National Human Rights Defense Network. It revealed that clashes between two gang coalitions -- the G-9 an Fami e alye and the G-Pep -- on July 7-17 of the same year resulted in at least 300 deaths.

Various armed groups that abound in the Haitian capital make kidnapping one of their main sources of funding.

In the first nine months of 2022, the Human Rights Analysis and Research Centre recorded 755 cases of kidnapping in the country, while the UN reported more than 600 cases in Port-au-Prince alone between January and July 2022. The kidnapping phenomenon affects all social segments. Abductees are usually exposed on the networks as a means of putting pressure on the families concerned.

Rape is used as a weapon by armed groups, according to human rights organizations.

As Haiti prepares for an election year, as announced by Prime Minister Ariel Henry, the actions of criminal gangs are an issue that could become more prominent.

The government of Haiti has attempted to combat gangs by adopting more stringent laws and creating special police units. Yet these efforts have often been insufficient and the situation remains worrying. The gangs are taking advantage of the poverty and distress of the population to recruit new members, especially among young people who have no other prospects.

The real way to fight gangs in Haiti, according to some observers, is to tackle the root of the problem: the poverty and marginalization of parts of the population. Investment in education and job creation is needed to offer young people an alternative to a life of crime. Thus, only a real social change can put an end to the cycle of violence and criminality generated by gangs in Haiti, the “Pearl of the Antilles.”