Haiti plunged into "underworld rule"?

People walk inside a market in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on November 6, 2021. (Xinhua News Agency/Midland/Photo)

Michel Burian, a French clergyman living in Haiti, developed a physiological fear of Croix-des-Bouquets. Croix-de-Bouquet, a western suburb of the once-prosperous capital, Port-au-Prince, has in recent years become the base of the Haitian gang 400 Mawozo (Haitian Creole).

A year ago, when Burian and his companions were driving by croix-de-Bouquet in a bus, several gangsters wearing cartoon hoods and armed with rifles blocked the middle of the road. Soon, a man jumped on the bus and ordered the passengers to hand over their personal belongings. Another man snatched the steering wheel and led the entire vehicle deep into the inaccessible village.

"If we don't agree, the gang members will pull the trigger at us." Burian still has palpitations as he recalls.

Since the assassination of former Haitian President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021, Haitian society has slipped further to the brink of collapse amid political instability, economic decay and social disorder.

According to the Haitian National Network for The Defence of Human Rights (RNDDH) and the United Nations, at least 148 people were murdered and nearly 9,000 Haitians were forced to leave their homes in late April and early May 2022 as a result of a bloody turf battle between 400 reckless men and another gangster group, Chen Mechan.

"We can be kidnapped anytime and anywhere"

Burian and nine others were imprisoned by the gang for 19 days, wandering through the bushes and mud houses, surrounded by the sound of gunfire.

The gang members provided Burian with toiletries, normal food, and even functional drinks.

News of the "kidnapping of the missionaries" spread in Port-au-Prince. Whenever the noon bell rang, the Catholic nation's ecclesiastical schools began to strike, and hundreds of believers dressed in black robes took to the streets in protest.

By the third week of the kidnapping, Burian's priest's robe had been torn into blindfold cloth and his hands were tied. "The longer the kidnapping, the more anxious the gang members are. Later, they began to reduce food and coerced us into asking our relatives and friends for ransom. Burian said.

Haitian gangs often offer ransoms 48 to 72 hours after kidnappings, often starting at inflated prices. In October 2021, 400 mangs kidnapped 17 North American missionaries for a total ransom of $17 million.

"As long as you are kidnapped, you must give a ransom, and the specific money can be negotiated, it can be a million dollars, it can be 10,000-20,000, but it cannot be not given." Whether you are rich or poor, you may be kidnapped. Widlore Mérancourt, editor-in-chief of AyiboPost, an independent Haitian outlet, told Southern Weekend.

Merancourt, a native of Haiti, has only been robbed by gangsters once in 2020. "They took my wallet, my papers, and drove my private car."

Merancourt has a lingering feeling that although he lives in a relatively safe neighborhood in Port-au-Prince, he always pays extra attention when he walks the streets of Port-au-Prince every day.

Pierre Esperance, director of the Haitian National Network for the Defence of Human Rights, once said, "No matter who you are, where you are in Haiti, you will never be safe." ”

Haiti has the highest kidnapping rate in the world, and kidnapping has become the main method of gold digging for gangster groups. In the first half of 2021, there were at least 395 kidnappings in Haiti, compared with 88 in the same period in 2020. In 2021, nearly 80% of the kidnappings were committed by "400 reckless men".

The gang "400 Reckless Men" was made up of a dozen young people in the early days, Mawozo, a Haitian Creole, who started by robbing civilians and stealing community motorcycles. In recent years, the organization has gained fame for having mastered core strategic locations, such as the Croix-de-Bouquet region, the northern transport arteries and the only land route connecting the Haitian capital to the neighbouring Dominican Republic.

Today, croix-de-buké is littered with small, decaying and isolated villages, making it easy for gangs to raid, escape and hide.

The members of the "400 Reckless Man" are dressed in odd costumes and tough styles, the gang leader often appears wearing Spider-Man masks, and they often threaten Haitian law enforcement or competitors on social media.

The group's leader, Wilson Joseph, has demanded that Haiti's former national police chief be held accountable for the deaths of gang members.

"If my demands are not met, I will put a bullet in the head of each missionary." Joseph threatened at the funeral of his members, "I shed tears and you will shed blood!" ”

"The rule of law in Haiti is useless for them"

In addition to kidnappings, Haitian gangsters also perform most of the "government functions" in the controlled areas.

The Haitian Centre for Human Rights Analysis and Research found that gangs also levy fees on infrastructure such as water, electricity and bus stations, levy taxes on small traders in the streets, require charities, public services and private companies to reduce government spending, and levy protection fees from businessmen and politicians.

"The gangsters [in the controlled area] have more authority than the Haitian authorities. They tell you to 'stay at home' and you have to stay at home. They let you 'go out' and you have to go out. Joran Giller, head of the Clear Eyes Foundation for Human Rights in Haiti, said that this is terror.

In recent years, Haitian gangs have become increasingly rampant. Eric Calpas, a sociologist who studies Haitian gangs, said the number of gangs has grown from 35 in 2004 to more than 200, with some gang members as many as 100.

The New York Times estimates that the gangs control nearly half of the neighborhoods in the capital, Port-au-Prince.

In order to further grab social resources, the gangs controlled the main roads connecting the capital and the countryside in order to seize the main transportation routes for agricultural resources and commodities to flow into the market.

"We have countless truck drivers being stopped by gangsters, which has increased the hunger crisis in Haiti." Ed Renne, head of Food Relief for the Poor, who has been assisting Haiti for 35 years, said.

Haitian gangs not only assumed the function of "grassroots governance" on a large scale, but also because of the expansion of power, they even broke away from the control of the Haitian rule of law. On May 11, 2022, Germine Joly, the leader of 400 Manhoodhood, was extradited to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, accused of leading the abduction of 17 North American missionaries, including five children. Two other Haitian-Americans and one Haitian citizen were prosecuted.

The U.S. Department of Justice's indictment directly discloses the fact that Jolly is "not governed by the rule of law" in a Haitian prison. U.S. prosecutors investigated and found that Jolly was in a Haitian prison using his cell phone to contact three other people to arrange and carry out the kidnapping.

"For gang leaders, they're no different in prison than at home, they use their phones, they eat big meals, they even see beautiful women." Merancourt told Southern Weekend Reporters.

Chat records in the indictment found that Jolly remotely arranged for the gang to forge U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) documents eight times, purchasing at least 17 shotguns, pistols and rifles between September and October 2021. They then hid the illegal firearms in blue cargo barrels and transported them with household items to the hills of Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince.

Jolly's extradition to the United States may curb the momentum of the "400 reckless men" to some extent, but it is also seen that the Haitian gangsters have pushed social security to the extreme. According to a 2020 United Nations 2020 statistic, Haiti is rife with more than 270,000 illegal guns in the hands of civilians. In fact, this number may be as high as 500,000.

Hungry, or into the gang?

In Port-au-Prince, Haiti, teenagers playing soccer on the streets often hear gunshots crackling, and in a few moments, they will see teenagers a few years older than themselves hiding in the ruins of buildings bandaging their hands.

"Getting involved in gangs may be the only way out for Haitians." James Boyard, a professor of political science at the State University of Haiti, argues that in a country where 60 percent of the population earns less than two dollars a day and millions of people endure extreme hunger, gangs thrive largely because of extreme poverty.

Haiti is one of the poorest and most unequal countries in the Americas. According to the World Bank, Haiti's gross domestic product shrank by 3.3 percent in 2021, the biggest drop since the 2010 earthquake.

Haitian economist Enomy Germain said haitian gourde depreciated by more than 50 percent in 2021, with inflation remaining above 10 percent. This poor economic situation is comparable to that of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in 1991 when he was overthrown.

Due to street protests, gang violence and the COVID-19 pandemic, Haitian schools have been closed repeatedly in recent years, making normal education difficult to maintain. Nearly 70% of schools in the Southern Peninsula were damaged in the August 2021 undersea earthquake.

Poverty, power imbalances and lack of education force young Haitians to be recruited by gangsters. Haitians nicknamed Gana Ti Zile joined the gang at the age of 14, and now 35 he has become one of the leaders of the gang G-Pèp, which controls Sun City, a poor coastal area of the capital.

The Sun City community, with a population of 400,000, relies on international and local NGOs to maintain basic social services such as water, electricity and education.

"It's not normal to have young children with guns, but haiti has nothing to offer." Kojima believes his gang, G-Pèp, is transporting aid from the international community to help the poor who can't afford to pay for food.

Like other Haitian gangs, G-Pèp also recruits children and teenagers to join the organization to run errands for the gang or fight against opponents, "some young people will continue to 'fight alongside' us, and when some people die, there will be new people." Kojima said.

Merancourt told Southern Weekend reporters that in order to earn money, 50% to 70% of young people either join the gang or flee to the United States or Brazil, "For young people, not joining the gang means there is no place to live." ”

Money is the best recruiting tool for gangsters. Young people who work for G-Pèp each week are paid around a few dollars to $40.

Gangsters covet the presidency

As Haiti descended into a whirlpool of chaos, the gangs took the opportunity to grow. On October 17, 2021, the 215th anniversary of the murder of Haiti's independence hero Jean-Jacques Desalin became the "show" for the gangsters.

On the same day, Haiti's then-Prime Minister Ariel Henry and his security vehicle were attacked by gangsters, and the government convoy drove away from the scene amid gunfire.

Soon, Jimmy Cherizier, Port-au-Prince's most influential gang leader, dressed in a white suit, presented a bouquet of flowers next to a portrait of the late President Moises surrounded by armed gangs.

"Gangster kidnapping of North American missionaries" made international headlines, and the actions of Seriziya, nicknamed "BARBECUE," appeared to be showing the international community "who has more power in Haiti."

"Everyone needs to wait for my orders before we can respond to the murder of President Mois." Sherizier said during the march.

In November 2021, Haiti was mired in fuel shortages, and Sherizier called for "acting President Henry to resign." The Guardian commented that Sherizier was coveting the presidency left by Mois.

Sherizier is a controversial Haitian "celebrity". He is a former police officer and the main leader of the Nine Gangs (G9) in the Haitian capital.

Most Haitian gangs portray themselves as contemporary saviors, claiming that they distribute money, food, and stolen goods to their "followers." In a 2021 interview with The Associated Press, Sherizier wore a police badge on his right arm, pointing to decaying neighborhoods and closed schools and asking reporters, "What do you see?" These children have no future. In 10 years, they'll have guns in their hands. ”

Seriziya also sought to describe the G9's actions as a "social movement for better welfare and opportunities for poor communities."

"The G9 is the 'revolutionary force' that liberated Haiti from the opposition, the government and the bourgeoisie." On June 23, 2021, Sherizier stood in the slum of La Saline and shouted, accused of creating homicides in the community.

As early as the establishment of the G9 in 2020, sherizier was already calling for rain in politics because of the black and white connection. 24 hours after Former Haitian Prime Minister joseph Jouthe, then minister of public security, launched an anti-gang operation in the Village de Dieu neighborhood in Port-au-Prince, Serizier responded that he and 19 police officers could be responsible for clearing the Village de Dieu neighborhood.

A senior Haitian government official revealed that many haitian active police officers are willing to work for Sherizier, who not only receive a monthly salary of $1,000, but also ensure convenient transportation and personal safety.

Sherizier has long been a bridge between the capital's gangsters and Haiti's business politicians, and has carried out "social pillaging operations" with the support of the state. Insight Crime, a news investigative organization, revealed that the G9 is involved in a number of criminal activities such as human smuggling, arms reselling and drug delivery, and will also help the government elite assassinate designated individuals when necessary.

"Gangsters govern communities just for profit, and when they have guns and power, everything just goes into a vicious circle." Merancourt told Southern Weekend Reporters.

"No one is responsible for this country"

In 1804, Haiti became the first independent state in Latin America and the Caribbean and the first black republic to overthrow French colonial rule. It was once a beacon of freedom in the eyes of historians.

Leaving French colonial rule left Haiti with $22 billion in reparations, which accounted for 80 percent of Haiti's government spending over the years until it was fully repaid in 1947.

Haiti's independent sovereignty is recognized by the United States, France and other Western societies, and it is deeply mired in poverty, corruption and ongoing political turmoil due to domestic political corruption, external interference, natural disasters and epidemics.

"I think you've had a situation in Haiti where the government has handed over almost everything to the gangs; [the government] is just a function in name and on paper." Keith Maines, director of the Latin American Program at the American Institute for Peace in Washington, said.

Haitian political leaders have also long used gangsters and paramilitary groups to control society and fight the opposition.

In 1957, former Haitian President François Duvalier, known as "Father Doctor," set up a paramilitary group to prevent military coups and rebel against popular dissent.

The first democratically elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, relied on slum gangsters to defend the presidency. President Moys, who was killed in 2021, has sent money, weapons, vehicles and even police uniforms to gangster groups to control society and fight opposition forces.

In extreme cases, Haitian politicians and their relatives would also fall victim to political violence. In January 1999, no sooner had president Préval dissolved Parliament than his sister was seriously injured by two motorcycle gunmen.

In February 2022, Helen Lalim, head of the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti, said that the fight against gangs cannot be solved simply by maintaining law and order, but also requires a law enforcement approach, such as strengthening control of illegal weapons, but also socio-economic projects and reintegration activities for local residents to help communities affected by gang violence to improve employment and raise incomes.

"No one is really accountable for this country." Robert Fatton, a professor of Haitian political science at the University of Virginia in the United States, lamented that the current haitian parliament is vacant, leaving only one prime minister who is no longer prime minister.

Southern Weekend reporter Gu Yuebing Southern Weekend intern He Yuqing Jin Mingxuan