Haiti gang leader declares ‘revolution’ as violence spreads

Jimmy Cherizier, a former police officer and suspect in a massacre, launches revolution against establishment amid unrest.

One of Haiti’s most powerful gang leaders warned this week he was launching a revolution against the country’s business and political elites, signalling a likely further escalation of violence in the impoverished Caribbean nation. Violence has spiked in Haiti’s capital in recent weeks to what the United Nations has called “unprecedented levels” as rival groups battle with one another or the police for control of the streets, displacing thousands and worsening the country’s humanitarian crisis. Jimmy Cherizier, alias Barbecue, a former police officer, heads the so-called “G9” federation of nine gangs formed last year.