Who is Barbecue, Haiti's most-feared gang leader?

Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, has been engulfed by heavy gunfire in recent days, causing panic among the population.

The 46-year-old Haitian gang leader, Jimmy Cherizier, known as 'Barbecue', told reporters on Tuesday that the chaos engulfing the capital, Port-au-Prince, will lead to civil war and 'genocide' unless Prime Minister Ariel Henry steps down.

The strong remarks were made at a time when Prime Minister Henry seemed to encounter difficulties returning home, facing refusal from the neighboring Dominican Republic to permit his landing, as reported by the Dominican news group CDN.

Prime Minister Ariel Henry was due to step down in February to allow for elections. However, he recently travelled abroad to garner support for a UN-backed security force to combat the growing power of gangs.

His absence only served to fuel the chaos, with gangs already in control of much of Port-au-Prince seizing the opportunity to launch attacks on key government installations, including the main international airport and prisons.

Last week, gangs exchanged gunfire with police and soldiers in attacks on Haiti's main international airport and the country's prisons, leading to a mass escape from Haiti’s two largest prisons.

Barbecue is the leader of a gang coalition known as the G9 Family and Allies, and has previously launched powerful attacks that have crippled the country.

As the situation intensifies, attention has turned to the figure behind the threats. Here is what we know about Jimmy Cherizier, whose nom de guerre is “Barbecue”.

Who is Jimmy Cherizier, and what is his role in Haiti's unfolding crisis?

Cherizier is currently acknowledged as one of, if not the most influential gang leaders in Haiti, and he is suspected of being responsible for numerous large-scale massacres in the Port-au-Prince area.

Cherizier was previously an officer in the Haitian National Police. Hailing from the Delmas neighbourhood of Port-au-Prince, his involvement in a 2018 massacre in the La Saline neighbourhood of Port-au-Prince earned him the nickname Barbecue.

The brutal incident left at least 71 civilians dead, with reports describing the scene as horrific, with bodies burned and dismembered.

Cherizier's alleged role in leading and carrying out the massacre contributed to his notoriety, leading to him being nicknamed 'Barbecue' which he refused such claims, and instead, he contends that it stems from his mother's occupation as a fried chicken street vendor.

He often makes public appearances wearing a beret and camouflage clothing and is often seen carrying a firearm.

In 2020, Cherizier announced the creation of a gang alliance. He gained widespread attention for forming the G9 Family and Allies, a coalition of nine gangs operating in the capital region.

Following the assassination of then-President Jovenel Moise in 2021, Cherizier called for protests, alleging the involvement of opposition leaders and law enforcement in the plot.

On June 23, 2021, Cherizier issued a statement declaring that the G9 gang collective would spearhead an armed revolution against Haiti's business and political elites. He portrayed the G9 as filling the void left by government weakness and as a force "to deliver Haiti from the opposition, the government, and the Haitian bourgeoisie."

In late 2022, he took control of an area around a major fuel terminal in Port-au-Prince for nearly two months.

Recently, Barbecue has escalated his demands for the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry and warned, "If Ariel Henry doesn't resign, if the international community continues to support him, we'll be heading straight for a civil war that will lead to genocide."