Haiti’s most notorious gang leader, Jimmy Cherizier, also known as Barbecue, has accused politicians in Haiti of sponsoring gang operations in the war-torn nation.
In a viral video, Cherizier addressed the Haitian police, claiming that some economic elites within the country were also involved in the ongoing violence.
Barbecue alleged that certain Haitian politicians and economic elites have been training and equipping bandits in working-class neighbourhoods.
In the brief video, the gang leader could be heard daring police officers and promising terror in Delmas, a street in the suburbs of Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince.
He warned the National Police of Haiti to stop pursuing him and to send armoured vehicles to fight him, promising to declare terror in the Delmas region.
"It is likely that in the coming days, there will be major clashes at the bottom of Delmas," the gang leader could be heard saying.
Barbecue is accused of orchestrating the killing of three Haitian national police officers last week, an incident in which the armoured vehicle ferrying the officers was attacked and incinerated.
In response to the killings, the Presidential Transition Council issued a note expressing its concern and offering condolences to the families of the three police officers.
It is not the first time the gang leader has threatened to unleash terror against the people of Haiti and even police officers.
In late April this year, Barbecue sent a stern warning immediately after the swearing-in of the presidential transitional council. He warned the new council to brace itself for a more intense battle following its takeover from former Prime Minister Ariel Henry.
“Whether or not you're installed, this message is for you: Brace yourselves,” Barbecue threatened.
Moments after the gang leader finished issuing his threats, gunfire erupted nearby, indicating the gang's determination to resist the new system.
