Haitian gang boss offers to help in quake relief efforts

One of Haiti's most powerful crime bosses says his gangs have reached a truce and he is offering to assist in relief efforts in the southwestern region devastated by an earthquake

LES CAYES, Haiti -- A gang leader is offering a truce as well as help for communities in southwestern Haiti that were shattered by an earthquake, raising a glimmer of hope for relief operations that have been disrupted by the looting of aid trucks and other disorder. It remained to be seen whether anything would come from Sunday's offer by Jimmy Cherizier, alias “Barbecue.” While he is a powerful crime boss, Cherizier is far from the only gang leader in Haiti, and widely spread social media reports of a supposed earlier gang truce have failed to prevent attacks on the expanding relief effort. The offer came as many Haitians returned to religious services in or outside damaged churches, sometimes for the first time since the magnitude 7.2 quake hit Aug. 14. Haiti's Civil Protection Agency also raised list of confirmed dead to 2,207. Since the disaster, gangs have blocked roads, hijacked aid trucks and stolen supplies, forcing relief workers to transport supplies by helicopter. In places, desperate crowds have scuffled over bags of food.