Kenya's decision to spearhead the multinational force deployed to quell the aggressive gang that has wrested control of major towns in Haiti has encountered fierce opposition from a prominent figure in the criminal underworld.
Jimmy Barbecue” Cherizier, the leader of the G9 Family and Allies gang alliance, warned that his troops would not stand by and watch the foreign mission led by Kenya's Deputy Inspector General Noor Gabow, allegedly terrorise its citizens.
On Thursday last week, Barbecue promised to fight back should the team engage in human rights abuses.
He argued that previous peacekeepers sent to the nation, which has a population of 11 million people, committed abuses, including assault and engineering the outbreak of cholera.
“We will fight against them until our last breath. It will be a fight of the Haitian people to save the dignity of our country," the gang leader stated, according to Al Jazeera.
Deputy Inspector General Noor Gabow did not respond to media inquiries from America's ABC News which sought his comments on the threats issued by Barbecue.
Ironically, the United Nations and other security stakeholders have accused Barbecue of various criminal activities contributing to insecurity and instability in Haiti, especially in Port-au-Prince, the capital city of the Caribbean nation.
The United Nations (UN), which approved Kenya's role in leading the foreign mission, released a statement after the gang leader's threats denouncing the extreme brutality the gang had unleashed on the citizens.
According to the UN, killings had intensified recently, forcing citizens to flee city centres. The law enforcement, comprising just 10,000 officers, has since been overpowered by the gang members storming police stations.
Other security forces estimated that the gangs now control 80 per cent of the nation, including the capital city of Port-au-Prince.
With Kenyan police set to arrive in the country, all eyes will be on Deputy Inspector General Noor Gabow, who is expected to help local law enforcement deal with the uprising of the ruthless gang.
Other than aiding Haitian authorities in repulsing the gang, which has taken control of the North American country's capital of Port-au-Prince, Gabow will also seek to curb its influence in the nearby suburbs.
The gang's grip on the nation has forced thousands of its citizens to flee their homes in search of a better life in peaceful and calmer neighbourhoods.
Kenya's Role in Restoring Normalcy in Haiti
In early August, Foreign Affairs Minister Alfred Mutua affirmed that the deployment of Kenyan police was aimed at assisting Haitian law enforcement in restoring normalcy.
“Kenya stands with persons of African descent across the world, including those in the Caribbean, and aligns with the African Union’s diaspora policy and our own commitment to Pan Africanism, and in this case to `reclaiming of the Atlantic crossing,’” Mutua, a former Machakos Governor, stated.
The UN estimates that 2,439 people have been killed since January 2023, when the gang intensified its activities.
The deterioration in governance traces back to July 2021, shortly after the assassination of then-President Jovenel Moïse.
