UN staff in Haiti told to stay off streets after gang coalition flexes muscle, US Marines face gunfire
Threats from Haitian gangs reportedly prompted the United Nations (U.N.) and foreign embassies to advise staff to stay off the streets of the capital Port-au-Prince Monday.
U.N. security directed staff to work remotely and restrict travel in the West region, while Haiti’s National Police canceled all personnel leave until further notice, according to The Miami Herald.
Mathias Gillmann, a spokesperson with the U.N. Integrated Office in Haiti, confirmed to Fox News Digital in an email that staff were asked to work from home for the day.
Public threats from a powerful Haitian gang leader began circulating on social media in recent days following weekend security operations from the Haitian National Police, the Armed Forces of Haiti and the Gang Suppression Force (GSF), a multinational mission, authorized by the U.N. Security Council.
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Jimmy Chérizier, widely known as “Barbecue,” appeared in a video shared Sunday by an independent Haitian media outlet, urging people to stay home on Nov. 17 so they wouldn’t “be a victim,” according to a brief translation of his remarks.
“Those who don’t need to, do not go out into the streets. Leave the streets to ‘Viv Ansanm’ and the police so that we can confront them,” “Barbecue” is quoted as saying, according to HaitiLibre, an independent Haitian news site based in Port-au-Prince.
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Viv Ansanm is a Haitian gang coalition that was designated by the U.S. State Department as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist and Foreign Terrorist Organization in May.
It was formed in September 2023 through an alliance between the two main gang factions operating in Port-au-Prince, G-9 and G-Pép.
The GSF said in an X post on Sunday that, together with specialized units from the Haitian National Police and the Armed Forces of Haiti, it carried out a security operation against the leadership and members of the 400 Mawozo gang that led to the deaths of several gang members.
The Friday operation resulted in the seizure of multiple weapons, including an M50-caliber Barrett rifle, six assault rifles and three pistols, they said.
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“This operation sends a clear and unequivocal message: the era of unchecked gang dominance is over. Haiti’s security institutions are mobilizing all available capabilities; on land, at sea, and in the air, to restore peace, protect communities, and ensure that every Haitian can exercise their basic human rights without fear of violence,” read a statement from GSF. “Joint intelligence-driven operations and continuous security patrols will persist until these criminal groups are decisively defeated.”
GSF said a Haitian National Police helicopter providing aerial support during the operation was forced to make an emergency landing due to a mechanical malfunction.
The team on board was evacuated by ground units, who came under heavy gang fire while conducting the rescue.
On Thursday, U.S. Marines protecting the American Embassy in Haiti exchanged gunfire with suspected gang members. No service members were injured in the incident.
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