I will kidnap all the ministers

Last summer, a somewhat strange proposal came from the United Nations: sending Kenyan police to Haiti. This week, Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry traveled to Nairobi to discuss the final details of the agreement.

Then heavy fighting broke out in the country's capital, Port-au-Prince, and the leader of the country's largest gang, Jimmy “BBQ” Scherizer, was clear in his communications.

– I intend to kidnap the police chief and the ministers, he says in a clip circulating on social media.

Hitting the plane with automatic weapons

Early Thursday local time, the city's airport was closed after several planes were hit by automatic weapons bullets. It is said that fights took place during the day on Thursday between local police and gang members.

Schools and shops were forced to close their doors, and the authorities were forced to close their offices AP.

In 2023, the two largest gangs in Haiti, the Scherizier gang and a gang called G-Beep, united in an alliance. Their goal is to overthrow the Haitian government in general and Prime Minister Ariel Henry in particular.

– With our weapons and with the Haitian people, we will liberate this country, says Chérizier in the clip.

The gang controls 80 percent

In 2023, 4,789 people were killed in Haiti.

According to the Associated Press, it is estimated that criminal gangs, which can be compared to paramilitary forces, control about 80 percent of the capital, Port-au-Prince.

He also says in the clip that several attacks were organized across the city on Thursday. Among other things, a police station is said to have been burned down.

At the time of writing, Haiti does not have any elected politicians. Current Prime Minister Henry was elected by the United Nations General Assembly in 2021 after the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in the same year.

Henry announced that a general election would be held in mid-2025.

March 1 marks 20 years since the US-led coalition ousted then-President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.