An assault on the Petion-Ville area near Haiti’s capital resulted in the death of suspected gang members. The confrontations between law enforcement and individuals signaled a resurgence of vigilante justice in the absence of a governing authority.
Two individuals who were believed to be gang members were murdered, and their bodies burned in Haiti after a recent violent incident in Petion-Ville. Residents were involved in the activity.
The vigilante justice ‘Bwa Kale’ movement, an organization that sometimes includes police officers, began a year ago when twelve individuals in Port-au-Prince were lynched and set on fire by locals who suspected they belonged to a gang.
Attacks in the vicinity of Petion-Ville, which is home to several high-end hotels and embassies, reportedly claimed the lives of at least fifteen individuals, according to a local news site.
Ernst Julme (aka Ti Greg), the leader of the Delmas 95 gang, was slain in a police operation. This comes only one day after another gang boss was assassinated in what seems to be a wave of vigilante justice, according to reports.
A blow to the gangs’ ambitions to expand their control of the city has come with the death of Julme, an element of the “Viv Ansanm” coalition headed by gang boss Jimmy “Barbeque” Cherizier. Julme was part of the large-scale prison break at Haiti’s biggest prison.
The violence has persisted even after Prime Minister Ariel Henry resigned. The interim prime minister has also prolonged the curfew that was imposed earlier this month.
International leaders have arranged a presidential transition committee to reduce the spiraling violence since the assassination of its previous president in 2021. But committee members have faced threats. The excluded persons have accused the council of endorsing the corrupt.
In Jamaica, officials from Haiti’s government and opposition worked with the intergovernmental Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to arrange the transition plan. CARICOM has announced that the political factions will have a voice on the council.
Some Haitian political forces could not coalesce behind one candidate, delaying the projected finalization of the nine-member council.
Several countries have begun to evacuate their citizens, and security at embassies has been tightened. The neighboring Dominican Republic reportedly evacuated 300 individuals, including EU, World Bank, and International Monetary Fund staff. Since the airport was blocked, the US said Americans would be evacuated by helicopter.
