In May, US federal prosecutors brought charges against the Haitian gang leader that kidnapped 16 American missionaries last year. Germine Joly was the leader of the 400 Mawozo gang. And though he was extradited to the US from Haiti, it won’t slow Haiti’s deterioration as a society.
Haiti has nearly collapsed since the assassination of its president Jovenel Moise, last July. Kidnapping were up 60% in the first quarter of 2022. This spring, war broke-out between the 400 Mawozo and its rival Chen Mechan. Over 200 have been killed and nearly 17,000 displaced. Gangs now control the roads in-and-out of Port-au-Prince. Meanwhile, gangs use social media to recruit new members, intimidate rivals, push narratives, and frighten the population. Gang leaders flash cash, gold chains, and fancy watches to recruit new members. They post mutilated bodies to terrorize enemies and people in general. Platforms have struggled to remove these videos, though Facebook and Instagram finally removed the video of a gang leader, Izo, after he threatened to kill 30 people.
Haiti is a modern-day fallback, where a society regresses to a more primitive level. It happens occasionally in history (e.g., the fall of Rome). Haiti was never able to lay the psychological and physical infrastructure needed to take root as a nation-state, so when its president was killed, the country fell to a chiefdom. Some experts say that gangs now control 60% of the country. This will continue unless international support intervenes to help re-establish rule-of-law.
In Haiti, one gang will eventually rise to become a dynasty. In fact, we’re already beginning to see this. Jimmy Cherizier, a former police officer and now gang leader, has united several gangs into the single G9 Family and Allies. What’s novel is how social media is accelerating the process. “The bandits would never have been as powerful as they are in Haiti without social media,” says one Haitian thinktank. Indeed, Cherizier announced the formation of his alliance on YouTube. Societal recoveries that once took decades or centuries may only take years, albeit under a new leader—and not necessarily a good one.
Source:
Widloe Merancourt and Amanda Coletta, “Gangs in Haiti Use Social Media Outlets to Recruit, Terrorize,” Washington Post, 12 June 2022, A17; see also https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/06/11/haiti-gangs-social-media-cherizier-izo/
“The US’s Tepid Stance in Haiti,” Washington Post, 8 May 2022, A30.
“Haitian Gang Leader Charged with Conspiracy to Commit Hostage Taking for Kidnapping of 16 US Missionaries in Fall 202,” Department of Justice, PRN 22-493, 10 May 2022; access on https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/haitian-gang-leader-charged-conspiracy-commit-hostage-taking-kidnapping-16-us-missionaries#:~:text=The%20Haitian%20government%20transferred%20Germine,in%20the%20District%20of%20Columbia.
Photo: Police Nationale d’Haiti
No responses yet