Jimmy ‘Barbeque’ Cherizier Demands Dialogue As Kenya’s Forces Land In Haiti
Haiti Prime Minister Garry Conille told gang leader Jimmy Cherizier, also known as Barbecue, on Tuesday that if he wanted to talk to the government, he needed to lay down his arms first.
Conille insisted during a press briefing that dialogue could only occur if the gang leader stopped engaging in illegal activities.
The Prime Minister stated unequivocally that dialogue was not possible regarding what he claimed were gangs looting and killing citizens.
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“Lay down your arms, recognize the authority of the State before any other arrangement,” Garry Conille told Barbecue.
Barbecue had initially warned that unless his team, the Viv Ansanm Coalition, was invited to the negotiating table, the country would not experience peace.
Conille’s statement came just minutes after Kenyan police arrived in the Caribbean nation for the much-anticipated Nairobi-led peacekeeping mission.
During the press conference, the Haitian Prime Minister emphasized the importance of the peacekeeping mission, claiming that gang violence had crippled economic activity and daily life.
According to the Prime Minister, the Haitian people have been holding out hope that the peacekeeping mission will restore order in the troubled country.
“This multinational mission will be the last one to help the county stabilize so it can renew its political personnel and return to an effective democracy,” Conille said.
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Kenyan police have been deployed to the war-torn nation, weeks after Kenya and Haiti signed an agreement that allowed for the deployment.
Gandy Thomas, Haiti’s acting representative to the United States, and Kenya’s ambassador to the US, Lazarus Amayo, were among those present at the signing ceremony.
While confirming the deal, Dupouy emphasized that signing the legal agreement was a critical step toward expediting the deployment.
Jimmy ‘Barbeque’ Cherizier Demands Dialogue As Kenya’s Forces Land In Haiti
