International

Operation against the bastion of ‘Barbecue’ ends with alleged criminals killed in Haiti

The police operation carried out these days in the bastion of gang leader Jimmy Chérizier, alias ‘Barbecue’, in Haiti ended in the death of several members of the coalition of armed groups Vivre Ensemble (Live Together) and allowed the seizure of firearms, drones, cars, motorcycles and drugs.

According to the Haitian National Police (PNH), specialized units intensified efforts in the operation in the capital area of Bas Delmas, where the ‘Barbecue’ headquarters is located, in order to dismantle the Vivre Ensemble coalition.

Law enforcement killed several criminals in the exchange of gunfire and arrested an unspecified number of gang members.

Impact for the criminal gang

As for the seizures, the deputy spokesman of the PNH, Lionel Lazarre, said that they confiscated 13 firearms (including a Kalashnikov rifle), three drones, seven cars, three motorcycles and substances that seem to correspond to marijuana.

Lazarre said that, “as part of a series of operations carried out in the West department (where Port-au-Prince is located), significant progress has already been made” and said that a series of measures have been adopted to dismantle the armed gangs that terrorize Haiti and that control around 85% of the capital.

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In presenting the operations carried out throughout Haiti – including the West department, where the ‘Barbecue’ headquarters is located, in Delmas 2 and Delmas – the deputy spokesman assured that joint actions with the Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) continued.

Increased police operations against organized crime in Haiti

The Police are intensifying operations in the West department (specifically in several areas of the Puerto Príncipe metropolitan region) and in others such as Artibonito, North, Center and Southeast, with the aim of dismantling powerful armed groups.

As part of these actions in the country, the police arrested alleged gang members and people involved in self-exass, shot about twenty alleged gang members, took control of police buildings, dismantled a car theft network, issued arrest warrants and seized thousands of ammunition cartridges.

For its part, the multinational mission announced that it has established its third advanced operational base in the building that housed the General Inspectorate of the Haitian National Police in Bas Delmas, in order to “secure the coast and the surrounding areas.”

In a statement, the MSS stressed that “the police quickly and firmly repelled the gangs’ attempts to disrupt the installation of the base, ending the resistance as soon as it began.”

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Call to the international community

This operational base, he said, is “an essential resource in the fight against the activity of the gangs in the region” and will serve as a center of strategic support, improving response times in key areas such as the national port, the Delmas district or vulnerable coasts.

These are areas exploited by the gangs for arms and drug trafficking, activities that finance their violent operations, he said.

With this base (the third established by the multinational mission after those installed in the Police Academy and in Pont-Sondé, in Artibonito), the MSS wants to “bring security closer to citizens”, determined to “return Haiti to its former splendor and to guarantee the security and well-being” of Haitians.

International

Paraguay summons Brazilian ambassador over Itaipú espionage scandal

Paraguay summoned the Brazilian ambassador in Asunción on Tuesday to demand “explanations” and called its own representative in Brasília for consultations following Brazil’s acknowledgment of an espionage operation. The Brazilian government, led by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, attributed the operation to the previous administration.

The surveillance effort aimed to uncover Paraguay’s position in now-suspended negotiations with Brazil regarding the pricing of electricity from the binational Itaipú hydroelectric plant, according to reports in the Brazilian press.

The Brazilian government “categorically denied any involvement in the intelligence operation,” stating in a Foreign Ministry communiqué on Monday that the espionage was carried out under former President Jair Bolsonaro’s administration (2019-2023).

“The operation was authorized by the previous government in June 2022 and was annulled by the interim director of the (state intelligence agency) ABIN on March 27, 2023, as soon as the current administration became aware of it,” Brazil’s government asserted.

Paraguay’s Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez announced that Brazilian Ambassador José Antonio Marcondes de Carvalho was summoned “to provide detailed explanations” regarding the operation. Additionally, Paraguay recalled its diplomatic representative in Brasília “to report on aspects related to the intelligence activity conducted by Brazil regarding Paraguay’s government affairs.”

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International

Elon Musk to step down as government advisor, per Trump insiders

President Donald Trump has informed his inner circle that Elon Musk will be stepping down from his role as a government advisor, according to a report by Politico today.

Citing three individuals close to Trump, Politico states that the president is pleased with Musk’s leadership at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), where he has implemented significant budget cuts. However, both have agreed that it is time for Musk to return to his businesses and support Trump from a different position outside the government.

A senior administration official told Politico that Musk will likely maintain an informal advisory role and continue to be an occasional visitor to the White House. Another source warned that anyone thinking Musk will completely disappear from Trump’s circle is “deluding themselves.”

According to the sources, this transition is expected to coincide with the end of Musk’s tenure as a “special government employee,” a temporary status that exempts him from certain ethics and conflict-of-interest regulations. This 130-day period is set to expire in late May or early June.

International

Milei vows to make Argentina so strong that Falkland Islanders “choose” to join

Argentine President Javier Milei reaffirmed his country’s claim over the Falkland Islands (known as the Islas Malvinas in Argentina) and praised the role of the nation’s armed forces during a ceremony marking the “Veterans and Fallen Soldiers of the Malvinas War Day,” commemorating 43 years since the 1982 conflict with the United Kingdom.

Argentina continues to assert sovereignty over the islands, arguing that Britain unlawfully seized them in 1833.

“If sovereignty over the Malvinas is the issue, we have always made it clear that the most important vote is the one cast with one’s feet. We hope that one day, the Malvinas residents will choose to vote with their feet and join us,” Milei stated.

“That is why we aim to become a global power—so much so that they would prefer to be Argentine, making deterrence or persuasion unnecessary. This is why we have embarked on a path of liberation, working to make Argentina the freest country in the world and once again the nation with the highest GDP per capita on the planet,” he added.