US condemns actions, statements by Haitian gang leader

Washington [US], August 19 : The US has vehemently disputed a claim made by a strong-arm Haitian gang leader that the authorities of Haiti must first be detained by a proposed multinational army to help restore security, Voice of America (VOA) reported.
"The US government condemns in the strongest possible terms the actions and statements of gang leaders like Cherizier who have paralyzed much of Port-au-Prince and the Artibonite department and displaced more than 100,000 Haitians," VOA quoted a State Department spokesperson.
Jimmy Cherizier, the ruthless G9 Family and Allies gang's (FRG9) commander in Port-au-Prince, told reporters on Wednesday that, in some situations, he would welcome a worldwide police force to help Haiti restore security.
"If, when the foreign forces arrive, they arrest the corrupt oligarchs, politicians and politicians who are selling weapons and ammunition to the people in the underprivileged neighbourhoods, I will applaud them," Cherizier said.
But he also issued a warning, "If the foreign forces arrive in 2023 or 2024, and we see them sexually assaulting women, raping young boys just as the Uruguayan soldiers did in 2004. If they bring cholera back to Haiti. … If that is what they are coming to do in the underprivileged neighbourhoods, along with opening fire on us, killing the people or massacring them — we Haitians will fight them until we shed our last drops of blood," he said.
The State Department spokesperson told VOA the administration will continue working to hold responsible those in Haiti who commit "gross violations of human rights and significant corruption."
As part of the Global Magnitsky Sanctions Programme, the US imposed sanctions on Cherizier in December 2020 for violating human rights as a result of his involvement in the La Saline incident. At least 71 people died as a result of the violent attack carried out against residents of Port-au-Prince's impoverished district in 2018, the spokesperson stated.
Cherizier was also designated under a United Nations Security Council resolution for his role in the economic and humanitarian crisis that crippled Haiti in 2022. The gang leader is blamed for the blockade of the capital's largest oil terminal, Varreux, which sparked a nationwide gas and power shortage.
The State Department spokesperson said the US "welcomed the Government of Kenya's announcement" of an offer to lead the multinational force.
"Our support for pursuing an MNF (Multinational Force) to restore security and stability in Haiti remains unwavering," the spokesperson told VOA.
In October 2022, Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry appealed to the international community for an international force to help Haiti's national police combat gang violence and make the country secure.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres made a similar appeal earlier this year and again on August 15 in a report on the situation in Haiti sent to the presidency of the Security Council. The United States currently holds that position.
A recent poll by the Agency for Managing Risk and Security in Haiti found that 68 per cent of Haitians believe a multinational force is needed to help restore security.