Haitian Gang Leader Signs Peace Deal: A New Chapter for Haiti?

 Port-au-Prince, Haiti - July 26, 2024: In a surprising turn of events, Jimmy Cherizier, widely known as "Barbecue," a notorious gang leader in Haiti, has signed a peace agreement with rival gangs. This development marks a significant step towards ending the rampant violence that has plagued the Caribbean nation. 

The peace deal comes at a time when Kenyan police, under the United Nations-endorsed Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission, have intensified their efforts to restore stability in the country.

Image: REUTERS

Ex-police officer Jimmy Cherizier has been one of the most powerful individuals with respect to gang violence in Haiti, at the head of the 'G9 Family and Allies' coalition. Historically opposed to external intervention, Cherizier issued a recent call to open a community dialogue, underlining that local solutions are paramount to halting bloodshed. 

He called for dialogue on the arrival of Kenyan police troops in Port-au-Prince to lead the United Nations-endorsed Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission.

IIn a video shared earlier this week, Cherizier spoke in Haitian Creole, urging the newly appointed interim Prime Minister Garry Conille to prove his commitment to peace. He highlighted Conille's lack of involvement in gang violence and illegal arms distribution, contrasting him with previous leaders.

Cherizier’s call for dialogue was initially met with skepticism, considering his past opposition to the MSS mission and his threats against the incoming troops. 

According to Le Nouvelliste, a leading news medium from Port-au-Prince, the peace accord was inked in a closed-door discussion in the presence of some rival gang leaders. 

The event ended with residents of Port-au-Prince going into raptures in the streets of the city, the first time this had happened after over two years of constant bloodletting.

Cherizier reiterated his commitment to peace, stating, 

We have decided to publicly announce that our strategy of laying down arms to facilitate national dialogue and promote peace is already written in black and white on our agenda.

He called on the Haitian government to convene a national peace meeting, expressing readiness to elect a credible mediator from the Haitian diaspora to facilitate the dialogue.

It has been the arrival of Kenyan police that has been a turning point in this developing situation. While an initial deployment of 400, preceding a full contingent of 1,000, has now been joined by troops from other countries, their mission to restore peace and stability in Haiti delayed initially by the resignation of former transitional Prime Minister Ariel Henry.

The Prime Minister Conille welcomed the Kenyan troops, expressing his hopes for cooperation with them and a pace for a peaceful Haiti. 

At last, the multinational force is here to support our national police. The work to retake the country would begin slowly without any major fights unless need be, said Conille, foreseeing normalcy in a few months.

The peace agreement represents an opening to hope, but it is not without its problems. Indeed, some express that the intervention of the peacekeepers is very slow in gang violence, and the situation remains very fragile. Cherizier said that if the prime minister does not do according to promises, there will be another pouring of violence: 

If you do the same things, our guns are already in our hands.

The entire world now holds its breath as the MSS mission gets underway with this peace agreement taking effect, in hopes that a new chapter finally unfolds for Haiti—one of peace and rebuilding.