International
Haiti’s most powerful gang leader proposes to lay down his arms in pursuit of a national dialogue
Former police officer Jimmy Cherisier, alias ‘Barbecue’, the most powerful armed gang leader in Haiti, proposed this Friday to Prime Minister, Garry Conille, to lay down his arms in an attempt to engage in a national dialogue with a view to recovering peace.
“We have decided to publicly announce that our strategy of laying down arms to facilitate national dialogue and promote peace is already written in black and white on our agenda,” Cherisier, who leads the coalition of armed gangs Vivre Ensemble (Living Together), told the media.
With a red garnet jacket and glasses, it was another Barbacue who appeared before the press today, with a written speech.
A man who usually allows himself to be seen armed and prepared for combat, this time showed a different tone and gestures, repeating again and again his call to national dialogue.
“We are willing to choose a credible and coherent Haitian citizen in the diaspora to facilitate dialogue in order to end this mafia war and facilitate the path to peace in the country,” Barbecue insisted.
Too many divisions, discord and conflicts between local actors have led the international community to look for Garry Conille and put him as prime minister, he recalled, denouncing the “political and economic mafia that keeps the country kidnapped.”
“We want peace because we want to destroy the war. We want dialogue because we want peace. All those who do not want dialogue sat in the war,” said the leader of the most powerful gangs in the country.
According to Barbecue, the weapons used by his men have been put in their hands by “personalities,” who have also sold them weapons.
The former policeman admitted to having made “several mistakes” in his activities as a gang leader.
“Why won’t this man, Dr. Garry Conille, take advantage of the national dialogue to end the war and bring peace back to the whole country?” he wondered.
According to Cherisier, the prime minister must clearly understand that national dialogue is the only way to ensure that the country does not follow the same course that it has tridled so far.
“Only through national dialogue will the Haitian State be able to regain control of the country’s territories, as required by the current Constitution,” said Barbecue, who did not cease to praise Conille’s merits.
He also affirmed that armed gangs should be considered rebel forces, not gangs.
“Let’s focus on the real solution, which is the national dialogue, where every Haitian, without discrimination, has the right to speak. And that’s what the mafias don’t want. They don’t want dialogue because they want to continue with the war,” he said, without identifying those “mafias.”
Barbacue, a powerful gang leader, has received accusations of committing several massacres, murders and homicides in the country. His name Barbecue comes from the fact that he burned his adversaries in an oven once they were captured.
The last crime committed by the leader of the gang – which he himself has claimed – was the murder of three police officers from the Elite Anti-Pang Unit (UTAG, in French) of the National Police in his bastion of Delmas 18, Sans Fil, on Sunday, June 9.
The ex-police is at the head of the two most powerful coalitions of armed gangs in Haiti, the G9 and the GPEP.
Last February, the armed coalition Vivre Ensemble created a situation of terror in Haiti, facing the police, destroying and burning police stations and expelling thousands of residents from their homes. The center of Port-au-Prince is totally destroyed due to the terror of the armed gangs, which dominate much of the capital.
A first contingent of police officers from Kenya have been in Port-au-Prince for more than a week, as part of an advance of 1,000 agents from that country who, together with members of security forces from other nations, will form a multinational mission to help the Haitian authorities regain control of the country.
International
Rubio and Lavrov Hold Talks After Large-Scale Russian Assault on Ukraine
The United States remains willing to mediate in the war between Russia and Ukraine, Secretary of State Marco Rubiosaid Tuesday following a large-scale Russian attack against Kyiv.
“Every time you see these large attacks by either side, it is a reminder of why this is a terrible war (…) that must come to an end,” Rubio told reporters after holding a phone conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Speaking during an official visit to India, Rubio stated that the United States is “ready and prepared to do whatever it can” to help facilitate an end to the conflict.
“We hope the opportunity presents itself at some point,” he added.
Russia warned on Monday that it could launch additional strikes against Kyiv, including attacks targeting what it described as “decision-making centers,” after carrying out weekend bombardments involving dozens of drones and missiles across Ukraine. The attacks reportedly killed four people.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, Lavrov urged the United States during the call to evacuate diplomats from its embassy in Kyiv.
Rubio later clarified that Moscow had issued a warning to all embassies in the Ukrainian capital, not only to the U.S. diplomatic mission.
International
Omar García Harfuch Announces Arrest of “El Chapo’s” Nephew
Mexican security forces captured a nephew of convicted drug lord Joaquín ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán during an operation carried out in the northern border state of Sonora, authorities confirmed on Tuesday.
The suspect, identified as Isai “N,” is reportedly wanted by authorities in the United States.
Omar García Harfuch, Mexico’s secretary of security, stated on X that the detainee is a “nephew of ‘El Chapo,’” the former leader of the powerful Sinaloa Cartel, who is currently serving a life sentence in the United States.
Mexican media identified the suspect as Isai Martínez Zepeda, who had reportedly been arrested in June 2008 while allegedly carrying high-caliber weapons.
However, the press office of Mexico’s Security Ministry told AFP that it did not have additional details regarding the earlier arrest.
Two sons of Joaquín Guzmán, Ovidio Guzmán López and Joaquín Guzmán López, are also imprisoned in the United States on drug trafficking charges.
International
Diplomatic Talks Continue as Iran Accuses U.S. of Ceasefire Violations
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran accused the United States on Tuesday of violating the fragile ceasefire over the past 48 hours in the province of Hormozgan Province, although officials did not specify the exact incident.
The accusations came after the United States Central Command announced on Monday that U.S. forces had targeted Iranian missile-launch facilities and vessels allegedly attempting to deploy mines in the Gulf region.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed that its forces fired on a U.S. aircraft that allegedly attempted to enter Iranian airspace.
“The terrorist U.S. military, which has continued its illegal and unjustified actions since the ceasefire (…) committed a serious violation of the ceasefire in Hormozgan Province over the past 48 hours,” the Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The ministry also warned that Iran “will not leave any hostile act unanswered and will not hesitate to defend itself,” without providing further details.
The accusations emerged while a high-level Iranian delegation was in Qatar for diplomatic talks aimed at ending the conflict with Washington.
The confrontation began on February 28 following attacks carried out by the United States and Israel against Tehran.
Rubio and Lavrov Hold Talks After Large-Scale Russian Assault on Ukraine
Omar García Harfuch Announces Arrest of “El Chapo’s” Nephew
Diplomatic Talks Continue as Iran Accuses U.S. of Ceasefire Violations
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