Several gang members were reportedly killed during an aggressive operation by Haitian police in one of the country’s most dangerous neighborhoods, just days after a Kenyan officer was assassinated.
On March 1, Haitian National Police (PNH) carried out a thorough operation in Port-au-Prince’s Delmas 6 area, which was believed to be the stronghold of infamous gang leader Jimmy “Barbecue” Chérizier. According to Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, who made an announcement on X, the operation resulted in the deaths of several gang members.
“The Task Force created by the government and the [Presidential Transitional Council] (CPT), in less than 48 hours, is already yielding results,” Fils-Aimé’s statement said on Sunday.He added.
“A large-scale operation is underway in Bas-Delmas, and several gang members have already been neutralized. Security forces are mobilized, and a state of readiness has been declared.” Notably, multiple credible sources, including the BBC, are saying that Jimmy “Barbecue” Chérizier was one of the gang members caught in the gunfire during the tragic operation.
Chérizier, a former police officer, leads the G9 Family and Allies gang federation and is one of Haiti’s most wanted criminals. He has been linked to kidnappings, extortion, and other criminal behavior in Port-au-Prince.
Emmanuel Vertilaire, another CPT member in charge of Justice, Public Security, and the Rule of Law, stated that the operation was planned and carried out on a big scale to block the development of criminal gangs.
However, it is unknown whether Kenyan police officers stationed in Haiti last year are involved in the security operation, which comes only days after one of their own was killed in the fierce exchange.
The officer, assigned to the Artibonite department, was hurt during an operation in SÉGUR-SAVIEN.Port-au-Prince has been in a state of uncertainty since February 2024, as criminal gangs’ violence has escalated.
The fight between gangs and law enforcement agents has resulted in the collapse of basic health services, as well as the emergence of a food crisis.
As of March 2025, at least 5500 people had been recorded deceased as a result of gang violence in the Caribbean island. A million people have been forced to abandon their homes.
