2023-05-08 23:05:18
For two weeks, violence has been more present than usual in Port-au-Prince, the capital. However, due to the phenomenon Other than that
, fear is no longer just the lot of ordinary citizens. It is also felt by gang members.
In Creole, Other than that
means debarked wood
. It is also a metaphor for expeditious justice.
While members of criminal gangs continue their depredations in the east of the Haitian capital, they have been forced to flee and take refuge in other areas.
Several were lynched or summarily executed after their capture by groups of citizens, who sometimes act in concert with the police.
Messages and memes from Other than that
are everywhere on Haitian social networks and artists such as Tony Mix are promoting it. A dance Other than that
was even created.
Many people have reservations about this movement and worry about its consequences. However, it resonates strongly with ordinary Haitians, who seem to find some liberation in terrorizing their tormentors.
Burned alive
A spontaneous event on April 24 seems to have been the catalyst for this movement. It happened in the Canape Vert sector, in Port-au-Prince, where police intercepted 13 of 14 gang members who were traveling in a minibus to join an allied criminal gang in the Debussy sector.
The members of the group did not have long guns
explained Louis-Henri Mars, director of theONG Haitian for peace Lakou Lape, in an interview with CBC News. They only had guns in their backpacks. When they were arrested, the police disarmed them.
A crowd quickly gathered around them.
March. The crowd threw stones at them and burned them. That was the start of the movement.”,”text”:”The police felt the pressure or they felt threatened by the mob, and they released these guys to be killed, literally, said M.Mars. The crowd threw stones at them and burned them. That was the beginning of the movement.”}}”>The police felt the pressure or they felt threatened by the mob, and they released these guys to be killed, literally, Mr. Mars said. The crowd threw stones at them and burned them. It was the beginning of the movement.
Cell phone footage from the scene shows Haitian police holding young men to the ground as civilians throw rocks at them. Tires are then piled on top of them before being set on fire. Other images show the charred remains of the men who were targeted.
Citizens set up a barricade in Port-au-Prince. (File photo)
Photo : Associated Press / Odelyn Joseph
It dispels the myth of their invincibility
, said Mr. Mars. He said that the members of the gang allied to Debussy were also attacked by the population and that they were killed one by one. Some were lucky enough to be arrested and taken to the police station
he specified.
Calls to an operation File Cuff Surgery
[opération Machette aiguisée] began circulating on social media on April 25. Evangelical churches have also spread the message.
March, a movement with the police in front and the population behind.”,”text”:”It created a movement everywhere in the city and even in the country, explained Mr. Mars, a movement with the police in front and the population behind.”}}”>It created a movement all over the city and even in the country, explained Mr. Mars, a movement with the police in front and the population behind.
thirst for revenge
In the following days, several sectors of Port-au-Prince were on a war footing. When gangs entered a neighborhood, people banged on pots to alert others.
Most citizens only had handguns to defend themselves against gang members and their automatic weapons. However, by throwing rocks at them from rooftops, some managed to repel the gangs.
Crowds attacked and invaded safe houses that housed gang members. Some were even dragged out of police stations before being killed in the street.
Haitian police forces are struggling to fight the heavily armed gangs that have invaded part of the country.
Photo : Reuters / RALPH TEDY EROL
The hatred is palpable in the images captured by video. In recent months, Haitian gangs have massively raped women and girls.
They routinely kidnapped children and tortured their victims. They extorted even the poorest citizens without mercy.
Some gang members are forced to confess their crimes and affiliation on video by citizens before being burned.
Governments reduced to the role of spectators
The Trudeau government is not insensitive to what is happening right now. Canada is deeply concerned about the recent population movement and the escalation of violence in Haiti, which stems from the increase in the number of murders and executions committed by criminals
a spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada told CBC News.
He added that Canada is currently focusing on building the capacity of the Haitian National Police.
Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry expressed his disapproval of the movement Other than that
in a recent speech. The insecurity we experience is appalling, he said. But let’s not let bad plans drag us into sordid games.
« I ask my compatriots, no matter what they have experienced at the hands of bandits, to remain calm. »
He also asked the population to help the police by giving them information on suspicious people.
Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry.
Photo : (Matias Delacroix/The Associated Press)
However, the cooperation between Other than that
and the police go far beyond the exchange of information. Cellular data in Port-au-Prince shows that police and civilians are engaged together in a street battle against criminals. Their cooperation is very close and leaves the government in the lurch.
Some even seem to have lost all hope that the Haitian government can help them. This is the case in the sector of Laboule 12, in Port-au-Prince, where a citizen defense group was formed in response to gang violence. This community has been asking for help from the government for months and finally decided to take matters into their own hands.
12. Ils [les membres du gouvernement] are always paid, they buy Land Cruisers of the year. They are under high security while the rest of the population is abandoned.”,”text”:”It’s as if the government is taking advantage of the fact that the country is lost, said a citizen of Laboule12. They [les membres du gouvernement] are always paid, they buy Land Cruisers of the year. They are under tight security while the rest of the population is abandoned.”}}”>It’s as if the government is taking advantage of the fact that the country is lost, said a citizen of Laboule 12. They [les membres du gouvernement] are always paid, they buy Land Cruisers of the year. They are under tight security while the rest of the population is abandoned.
Certain districts of Port-au-Prince are on a war footing. (File photo)
Photo : (Odelyn Joseph/Associated Press)
Dangerous consequences
Citizen advocacy groups formed to fight crime in Colombia in the 1990s have evolved into violent paramilitary groups that steal land, displace people and traffic drugs.
Louis-Henri Mars fears that a similar thing will happen in Haiti. By fighting gangs, you give up ownership restrictions, procedures, state control of violence. This move can spawn more gangs. In general, when you have citizen vigilantes, over the weeks and months, some of them become gangs themselves.
In return, Mr Mars shares the optimism that Other than that
raised in the Haitian capital for the first time in several years.
Something has changed. An opportunity for action has arisen. Now it’s up to us Haitians to take advantage and move in the right direction, not to keep destroying, burning and killing.
With information from Evan Dyer, CBC News
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