PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) – The Dominican Republic announced on Wednesday that it would continue to enforce strict security measures along its border with Haiti. This decision comes after Jimmy Cherizier, a member of a gang aiming to overthrow the government of Haiti, warned of potential civil war and genocide.
Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who was not elected but assumed office, arrived in Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory, on Tuesday. This clears up speculation about his whereabouts following his recent trip to Kenya to finalize a security agreement to support the country’s leadership of an international force combatting gangs.
Cherizier, also known as Barbeque, issued a strong statement during a press conference on Tuesday, threatening civil war and genocide if Ariel Henry refused to step down and if the international community continued to back him.
He mentioned strategic locations that his alliance of gangs, known as Viv Ansanm (Living Together), were targeting to facilitate the swift removal of Ariel Henry from power. Cherizier warned that those supporting Henry would bear responsibility for any loss of life in Haiti.
Gangs in Port-au-Prince, who have been vying for control, have hinted at the possibility of uniting against an international force as a collective front.
Cherizier disclosed that he had doubled the number of armed guards at the international airport in the capital to eight individuals.
Haiti shares a border with the Dominican Republic on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Dominican Defense Minister Carlos Luciano Diaz Morfa confirmed that all was calm during his inspection of the border with Haiti. He mentioned that commercial activities at the open border gates were ongoing, albeit at a reduced level due to military monitoring.
The statement emphasized that strict security measures were being upheld along the Dominican-Haitian border, although specific details were not provided.
Meanwhile, Haitian news outlet Vant Bef reported that Guy Philippe, a former leader of a coup who recently returned from the U.S. after serving time for drug trafficking, was vying to lead a transition council in Haiti.
Since his return to Haiti in December, Philippe has been organizing nationwide protests accompanied by armed members of a renegade environmental group called BSAP. Reports suggest that BSAP consists of former soldiers who previously fought alongside Philippe during the 2004 ousting of ex-President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
According to a recent report from the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime based in Geneva, the BSAP is believed to have between 2,000 and 6,000 registered agents. However, it remains unclear how many members are in the entire force and how they are funded and armed.
(Reporting by Steven Aristil in Port-au-Prince and Sarah Morland in Mexico City; Editing by Will Dunham)
