Gang war in Haiti

The widespread activity of non-state armed groups in Haiti dates back to the Duvalier dynasty (François and Jean-Claude Duvalier pictured).

From the 1950s, non-state armed groups have been firmly established in Haiti. This process began with the establishment of the Tonton Macoute paramilitaries by Haitian dictator François Duvalier, used to violently suppress dissidents.[11][2] After the dictatorship ended with the removal of Jean-Claude Duvalier from power in 1986, non-state violence continued. The Tonton Macoute were disbanded, but never disarmed and thus reorganized as far-right vigilantes. Haitian political actors continued to employ armed groups to defend their interests, manipulate elections, and suppress public unrest. In 1994, President Jean-Bertrand Aristide outlawed pro-Duvalier armed groups and disbanded the Haitian military, but this did not solve the issue, as there was again no disarmament. Thus, ex-soldiers and ex-militiamen further swelled the ranks of unofficial militant factions. From 1994 to 2004, a de facto anti-Arisitide insurgency took place in Port-au-Prince, as ex-soldiers attacked the government.[11] In response to the chaos, youth set up self-defense groups called chimères;[2] these groups were supported by the police and the government to shore up its position. Enjoying de facto state support by Aristide's Fanmi Lavalas party, the youth gangs took control of entire communes and became increasingly independent-minded.[12] U.S. diplomat Daniel Lewis Foote argued that "Aristide started [the gangs] on purpose in the early 1980s, as a voice, as a way to get some power, [...] and they morphed over the years".[13]

Following the 2010 Haiti earthquake, younger and more ruthless gangs overcame the dominance by older, more politically aligned gangs. These armed youth groups grew increasingly powerful.[14] The earthquake also resulted in the mass breakout of criminals from damaged prisons in Haiti.[13] The United Nations MINUSTAH (a UN peacekeeping operation in Haiti started after the end of the 2004 coup d'état) failed to contain the unrest, and committed abuses of its own.[13] Since the end of the MINUSTAH in October 2017, there was an increase of the gang-related violence, also against civilians, like the 2018 Port-au-Prince massacre that killed 25 civilians.[15][16] From 2017 to 2021, Haiti's political leadership became embroiled in a crisis, and the Haitian parliament entered a deadlock, public administration gradually ceased to operate due to a lack of funding, and the judicial system effectively fell apart.[17] Scheduled elections were repeatedly postponed. The economy of Haiti suffered under the repeated natural disasters and the growing unrest, further contributing to the crisis.[6] Vox journalist Ellen Ioanes summarized that "Haiti has faced serious and compounding crises, including a devastating 2010 earthquake, floods, cholera outbreaks, hurricanes, and corrupt, dictatorial, and incompetent leaders".[13] Gangs stepped into this power vacuum, seizing political power through cooperative politicians and economic control through protection rackets, kidnappings, and murders.[17]

By 2022, researchers estimated that about 200 gangs operated across Haiti. Of these, half were located in Port-au-Prince. The more influential gangs control large swaths of territory, including entire municipalities and communes.[14]

• "G9 alliance",[18] officially Fòs Revolisyonè G9 an Fanmi e Alye (Revolutionary Forces of the G9 Family and allies):[19] It was founded and is led by Jimmy Chérizier, called Barbecue, an ex-police officer.[19][20] G9 is based in the capital's communes of Delmas, Pétion-Ville, and parts of Carrefour. The G9 alliance includes many former soldiers and policemen in its ranks, and was long connected to the PHTK party; however, it distanced itself from the PHTK since Ariel Henry became president. The G9 now portrays itself as a revolutionary organization,[21] and has begun to create a nation-wide alliance network dubbed "G20".[20]
  • Delmas 6 Gang: Personal gang of Jimmy Chérizier, overall head of G9.[20] The gang was already operating while Chérizier was still an active police officer, signifying the gang's strong links to the Haitian security forces.[2]
  • "Baz Pilate": One of the capital's most important gangs, mainly consists of ex-SWAT elite police.[22]
  • Baz Krache Dife[20]
  • Nan Ti Bwa[20]
  • Simon Pelé's gang[20]
  • Baz Nan Chabon, Waf Jérémie[20]
  • Nan Boston,[20] also called "Boston gang"[23]
  • Belekou gang[20][23]
• "G-Pep": This gang alliance was formed in direct response to G9. It was organized by the Nan Brooklyn gang and its head Jean Pierre Gabriel (alias "Ti Gabriel"). The G-Pep is believed to be connected to Haitian opposition parties and/or "a well-known Haitian businessman". It is centered on Port-au-Prince's Cité Soleil.[22]
  • Nan Brooklyn gang,[22] also called "Brooklyn gang"[23]
• "400 Mawozo": The largest gang in Haiti, it is mainly based in Ganthier and in Port-au-Prince's Tabarre and Pétion-Ville. It largely consists of deportees, former leaders of opposition groups, former smugglers, and police officers. In 2022, it aligned itself with "G-Pep" after its leader was extradited to the United States.[1]
• "Grand Ravine" and "5 Second": Two youth gangs based in Port-au-Prince's Martissant; mainly consists of vigilantes and "popular organizations" previously connected to Fanmi Lavalas.[22]
• "Baz Galil": Based outside the capital, it mainly consists of deportees from the United States. Closely connected to the PHTK, various government agencies, and other gangs.[18]
• "Titanyen gang": Operates in Cabaret.[23]
• "Base 5 Secondes": Operates in Cabaret.[23]
• "Canaan gang": Operates in Cabaret.[23]
• "Village de Dieu"[2]

In May 2020, a coalition of eleven gangs (Delmas 19 gang, Delmas 6 gang, Delmas 95 gang, Nan Barozi gang, Nan Belekou gang, Nan Boston gang, Nan Chabón gang, Nan Ti Bwa gang, Pilate Base gang, Simon Pele gang, Wharf de Jeremie gang) was founded to attack several neighborhoods in Port-au-Prince as a way to secure and expand territorial control. In the same month, they attacked civilians in the hoods of Port-au-Prince, killing 34 people. By the end of the month, the coalition was dissolved.[24]

After those attacks, in a video on YouTube, another coalition of nine gangs was announced to be founded in Port-au Prince in June 2020. This became the "G9 Alliance" led by Jimmy "Barbecue" Chérizier.[2][19] All of member gangs had previous links to the ruling PHTK party of President Jovenel Moïse.[25] The coalition is led by Jimmy Chérizier. Since the coalition was founded, it has been responsible for multiple massacres against civilians and clashes with other rival gangs. From 2020 to 2021, the G9 was responsible for a dozen massacres, in which at least 200 people were killed.[19] The G9 was believed to have had close ties to the government of Moïse, which was accused of large-scale corruption. The coalition members frequently evaded persecution after the massacres and the clashes; Chérizier stood out in this regard because despite the arrest warrants against him, he continued to move freely and maintain an active presence on social media with no attempts by Haitian government forces to effectively arrest him. The G9 also began attacking neighborhoods in which civilians protested against the president, and also started clashes against rival gangs with the support of the police.[19][26]

In response to the growing dominance of G9, a rival gang alliance called "G-Pep" was founded[27] in July 2020. It mainly consisted of those gangs in Port-au-Prince's Cité Soleil who were strongly opposed to joining G9.[2] G-Pep was suspected of being connected to various opposition parties, and thus opposed G9 and its ties to Moïse.[28] In the following months, both gang alliance began to expand beyond their initial areas of operation.[2]

• MINUSTAH
• 2022 Port-au-Prince gang battles
• 2004 Haitian coup d'état
• Jamaican political conflict