Haiti Report, August 13, 2025
A compilation of news about Haiti from the past week.
As the CPT changes president, Port-au-Prince wakes up to tension
The capital, Port-au-Prince, woke up to tension on Thursday, August 7, 2025, as the president of the Presidential Transitional Council (CPT), Fritz Alphonse Jean, was due to hand over the rotating presidency to Laurent Saint Cyr. During the night, the spokesman for the "Viv ansanm" coalition, Jimmy Chérizier, armed and in military uniform, published a video in which he announced his intention to attack the Prime Minister's office and the Villa d'Accueil, which house the two branches of the executive.
Early Thursday, an armed attack was reported in Delmas 30 and Delmas 32, on the road to the government headquarters and following the route indicated by the leader of Viv ansanm in his video. Panicked, local residents were forced to take refuge in Delmas 34 and Delmas 40 B, Le Nouvelliste learned. Heavy gunfire was also heard on the Frères road, in Drouillard and in downtown Port-au-Prince. Armed attacks were reported in several localities in the commune of Kenscoff. In a statement released at 7 a.m. August 7,, the spokesperson for the Multinational Security Support Mission (MMAS), Jack Ombaka, revealed that two Kenyan armored vehicles were set on fire in Kenscoff. "As indicated in our previous press release, joint patrols and targeted operations are continuing in several areas of Port-au-Prince and the Artibonite region. Early this morning, around 2:00 a.m., the MSS lost two armored personnel carriers (APCs) during a security deterrent patrol in the Kenscoff area,” he said.
The latest transition of power in Haiti is highlighting long-standing fault lines between the country’s Black majority and the mostly mixed-race business class and threatens to inflame unresolved social dynamics, spilling into the country’s already volatile politics. Adding to the tensions: The U.S. State Department is weighing into the fray, accusing unnamed “malign actors” of trying to destabilize the crisis-wracked nation by offering bribes to block the hand-over of power. On Thursday, Laurent Saint-Cyr assumed the leadership of Haiti’s ruling nine-member Transitional Presidential Council from Fritz Alphonse Jean, a U.S.-educated economist, as part of a rotating presidency. Saint-Cyr represents the private sector on the council, which has some presidential powers and is tasked with restoring law and order to the Caribbean nation.
Ahead of the changeover, concerns over a possible coup led to increased security precautions. There was no coup, but on the morning of the swearing-in, armed gangs launched attacks on the road leading to the seat of government after Jimmy “Barbecue” Chérizier, a leader in the Viv Ansanm gang coalition, announced his intent on social media to attack the prime minister’s office and the Villa d’Accueil, where both the Transitional Presidential Council works. Saint-Cyr is slated to remain in power until Feb. 7, 2026, which is supposed to be the end of the transition after national elections to install a new president and Parliament. His ascension consolidates power in the hands of members of the country’s small, lighter-skinned economic elite for the first time in recent memory, and has been for months the subject of political infighting and intense debates about colorism and class that harken back to Haiti’s colonial history.
Police chief replaced with former head of palace security
Haiti's former national palace security chief, Vladimir Paraison, was appointed national police chief by the country's transitional government on Friday, as the Caribbean nation looks to battle armed gangs that have displaced over a million people. "We the police will not sleep," Paraison, who has the reputation of a seasoned and determined professional, told an inauguration ceremony. "We will provide security across every corner of the country." Paraison replaced Rameau Normil, whose tenure of just over a year was marked by tensions with a faction of the country's presidential council, notably with Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime, who separately coordinated a task force responsible for explosive drone operations against gangs.
New three month state of emergency for West, Artibonite and Central Plateau
Haiti’s government announced Saturday that it is implementing a three-month state of emergency in the country’s central region as gang violence surges. The measure will cover Haiti’s West, Artibonite and Center departments “to continue the fight against insecurity and respond to the agricultural and food crisis,” according to a government statement. https://apnews.com/article/haiti-state-of-emergency-gangs-west-artibonite-5afeb9b859928436eaf4c362fbb91489?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=share
UN Humanitarian Coordinator leaves Haiti with heavy heart
On Tuesday, Ulrika Richardson, United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Haiti, delivered a final plea—imbued with both gravity and hope—before assuming her new post in Libya this fall. “Is it alarming? Acute? Urgent? It is all of those things—and even more,” the official began, addressing a room full of journalists in New York as she described the situation in the Caribbean island nation ravaged by gangs. The toll: 1.3 million displaced people, half of them children; 3,000 deaths since January; two million people on the brink of famine. But behind the statistics, she emphasized, “there is a woman, a child, a father, a young person.”
And yet, Ulrika Richardson insisted that the international mechanisms are in place: a humanitarian response plan—“funded at only 9%, the lowest level in the world”—a sanctions regime, an arms embargo, and a multinational security support mission led by Kenya. “We have the tools, but the international response is not commensurate with the severity of the situation.” Asked about priorities in Haiti, Richardson—who will join the UN political mission in Libya starting September 1—was firm: “Quite simply, we must stop the flow of weapons into Haiti,” break the links between gangs and political or economic elites, and give the multinational mission's police officers the means to act. All of this, she warned, must go hand in hand with “a political solution” and a return to development; otherwise, instability risks spreading. Why isn't this happening? “A combination of lack of politics will at several levels and lack of funding,” she replied, noting that gangs, now less dependent on their former bosses, live off regional organized crime. https://lenouvelliste.com/en/article/258917/a-bitter-goodbye-richardson-deplores-inadequate-global-support-for-haiti
Nearly 60 organizations call on Laurent Saint-Cyr to place women's rights at the heart of the transition
In their letter dated August 7, 2025 and sent to AlterPresse, the signatories call for concrete measures to address the rise in sexual violence and demand the full participation of women and girls in decision-making bodies and in the electoral process. They recall how the Haitian Constitution sets a minimum quota of 30% of women in all public functions - a standard still ignored, with no women voters in the CPT and only 4 ministers out of 18 in the current government. The document highlights alarming data: according to the UN and local providers, sexual violence, used as a weapon of war by armed groups, has increased by up to 1,600% in some cases. Women and girls constitute the majority of the more than 1.3 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), with urgent needs for care, psychosocial support, and secure livelihoods. https://www.alterpresse.org/spip.php?article32063
The Toya Foundation marches for women's rights
The feminist organization Fondation Toya organized a peaceful march in Musseau on Saturday, August 9. This initiative aimed to promote recognition and protection for victims of sexual violence. In this sense, it called for a reformed and effective justice system to combat impunity. "Women are victims because the state makes it 'normal'; 'rapists must be put behind bars'; 'we demand a justice system that listens to women; we stand with women and girl victims'; 'the strength of a good system lies in its ability to deliver justice'," read, in Creole, placards held up by about fifteen young women last Saturday. https://lenouvelliste.com/article/258900/la-fondation-toya-marche-pour-les-droits-des-femmes
Schools to Reopen on October 1, 2025
https://lenouvelliste.com/en/article/258811/schools-to-reopen-on-october-1-2025
The inside story of the General Hospital drama
Failed gang negotiations explain the tragedy at General Hospital last December, according to sources familiar with the events. Unable to secure the country, Haitian authorities are increasingly turning to gangs to obtain permission to access areas under their control. This reliance on bandits comes with a cost: the criminals demand exorbitant amounts of money and do not hesitate to commit massacres when they are dissatisfied. An illustration of this problem dates back to December, during the Ministry of Public Health and Population's last attempt to reopen the country's largest hospital, the State University of Haiti Hospital. At the time, the gangs opened fire on journalists waiting for the authorities. Two of them, along with a police officer passing by on a street next to the hospital, were killed instantly. Seven other media workers were injured. https://ayibopost.com/les-dessous-du-drame-de-lhopital-general/
Dispute over port lease deepens political rift
Haiti’s transitional council is facing internal strife after its president said a press officer was threatened to publish a statement about a controversial port contract without approval. The incident further strains ties between government and business leaders amid reports of bribery attempts and growing gang influence in Port-au-Prince. https://haitiantimes.com/2025/08/07/haiti-port-contract-dispute/
US accuses N.C. man of bankrolling Haitian gang leader Jimmy ‘Barbecue’ Chérizier
A naturalized US citizen originally from Haiti has been accused of secretly sending thousands of dollars to one of Haiti’s most notorious gang leaders to buy guns, vehicles, and pay gang members’ salaries, according to federal court documents. Bazile Richardson, 45, who also goes by “Fredo Pam” and several other aliases, was arrested in Houston on July 23 and is being held without bail after a federal magistrate in Texas determined he posed a danger to the community. His case will be tried in the US District Court for the District of Columbia, according to the detention order filed July 29.
A grand jury indicted Richardson on July 24, alleging he conspired to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act by funneling money to Jimmy “Barbecue” Chérizier, the sanctioned Haitian gang leader and head of the G9 Family and Allies and the Viv Ansanm gang alliance. Both the U.S. Treasury and State Department have sanctioned Chérizier, and in May the State Department designated Viv Ansanm as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. According to the indictment, Richardson repeatedly used US money transfer services and intermediaries to send funds from members of the Haitian diaspora to Chérizier in Haiti. Investigators say the money supported gang operations that included paying foot soldiers, purchasing firearms, and sustaining violent campaigns to destabilize Port-au-Prince.
https://haitiantimes.com/2025/08/07/bazile-richardson-haitian-gang-funding/
U.S. indicts Haiti gang leader ‘Barbecue,’ offers $5 million reward for capture
Haiti’s most notorious gang leader has been indicted by a federal jury in Washington, D.C., after which the FBI announced a $5 million bounty for information leading to his capture. Jimmy Chérizier, aka “Barbecue” 48, is one of the leaders of the powerful Viv Ansanm gang coalition. Last year, the alliance was responsible for the deaths of more than 5,600 people, and already this year the number is beyond 3,000, the United Nations has said. Chérizier’s name was revealed Tuesday after federal authorities unsealed an indictment in federal court in Washington D.C. charging him and Bazile Richardson, 48, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Fayetteville, N.C., with leading a conspiracy to transfer money from the U.S to Cherizier to fund his gang activities in Haiti in violation of the U.S. sanctions imposed on Cherizier.
A former Haiti National Police officer, Chérizier is a fugitive in Haiti, where he has an active presence on social media platforms. “Violent actors like Chérizier, and the rest of his criminal associates must understand there is no safe haven for them and people like them that traffic violence on a daily basis,” said Darren Cox, the FBI’s acting assistant directeor for the Criminal Investigative Division. Transnational crime threatens the safety and security of the U.S., he said, and the agency and others are tackling every link in the chain and every cell, abroad and in the United States.
“We know someone has information that can help end this violence and we want them to come forward and know that they are safe In doing so,” Cox said. “We urge anybody with information related to Chérizier, and any of his criminal network, to contact the FBI tips line or our local field office.” The indictment is the result of a lengthy investigation into the gang leader’s criminal activities, which began in 2022. “His actions to fund the oppression and slaughter of Haitians, including firearm procurement and trafficking networks, fundraising activities, movement and usage of U.S. dollars, and violations of sanctions, are unconscionable — but today marks a step towards accountability,” said acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Todd M. Lyons. On Dec. 10, 2020, the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned Chérizier, labeling him a Specially Designated National for his role in serious human rights abuses in Haiti. As a result of the designation, anyone in the U.S. is generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with or for the benefit of Chérizier, absent approval from Treasury. The indictment claims Chérizier and Richardson, a trucker who was arrested in Houston last month, led a wide-ranging conspiracy with others in the U.S., Haiti, and elsewhere to raise funds for Chérizier’s gang activities in violation of the sanctions imposed on Chérizier. In particular, the indictment says, the duo directly solicited money transfers from members of the Haitian diaspora in the U.S. Funds were sent to intermediaries in Haiti for Chérizier’s benefit. Chérizier, used these funds to pay salaries to the members of his gang and to buy weapons from illicit firearms dealers in Haiti, U.S. officials said.
Pope Leo calls for release of gang hostages in Haiti amid changes on security front
Pope Leo XIV is calling for the release of eight hostages in Haiti, including a 3-year-old boy and a longtime Irish missionary who remain in captivity after being abducted from a mountaintop orphanage by armed gangs in the middle of the night. “I make a heartfelt appeal to all responsible parties to release the hostages immediately,” the pope said. The pontiff’s heartfelt appeal came Sunday during a prayer service where he condemned the widespread “violence of all kinds, human trafficking, forced displacement and kidnappings” in the volatile Caribbean nation. The comments marked the pope’s first public acknowledgement of the unraveling situation in Haiti, where some of his ancestors were from, since the U.S.-born pontiff became the Catholic Church’s first American pope in May following the death of Pope Francis in April.
During the prayer service, in which he also highlighted other global conflicts, the pope called on the international community to provide tangible support to help create the social and institutional conditions “that will allow the Haitian people to live in peace.” A week ago Sunday armed gangs breached the Saint-Hélène Orphanage in Kenscoff, an expansive rural enclave in the mountains above Port-au-Prince that has been under constant attack since the start of the year. Once inside, gangs grabbed Gena Heraty, an Irish national who has been working in Haiti since 1993, along with other adults and children. The orphanage is affiliated with Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos, NPH International, which confirmed the abductions on its website. The charity was founded by Father William Wasson, a Catholic priest, and serves vulnerable children in nearly two dozen countries across Latin America and Haiti.
IDB approves $44 million grant to support more than 200,000 youth in Haiti
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has approved a $43.9 million grant to support more than 200,000 vulnerable youth aged 15 to 35, with a focus on returnee youth and those not in education, employment, or training (NEET). The program aims to reduce the risks of violence and exclusion by creating employment and reintegration pathways.
This program combines paid community service with on-the-job training, digital literacy, and entrepreneurship coaching. It also helps returnees reintegrate through vocational training programs, creates safe spaces for youth, and expands access to mental health and gender-based violence services—critical tools to help young people regain stability and escape violence.
Approximately 8,600 young people will participate in the “Cash-for-Work Plus” modality, engaging in small-scale infrastructure projects.
Some 10,000 returnees will benefit from reintegration support, including vocational and entrepreneurial training.
Ten multi-purpose youth centers will be rehabilitated and activated across the country, providing training in digital literacy, socio-emotional skills and recreational activities to approximately 114,000 young people.
70,000 additional young people will have access to health screenings, mental health services and support for survivors of gender-based violence.
The project will also strengthen the capacity of Haiti's Economic and Social Assistance Fund (FAES) through training in project management, procurement, and monitoring and evaluation. It supports the implementation of Haiti's National Policy for Social Protection and Promotion (PNPPS), in coordination with state and non-state actors. https://lenouvelliste.com/article/258871/la-bid-approuve-une-subvention-de-44-millions-de-dollars-pour-soutenir-plus-de-200-000-jeunes-en-haiti
Cap-Haitien : Patronal Feast, Reinforcement of Security Measures
As part of the implementation of new strategies to strengthen the security measures of the Haitian National Police (PNH), Inspector General Moïse Jean, Representative of the Office of the Inspector General of the Police in the North, held an important meeting this week with the Departmental Director of the North, Divisional Commissioner Sem Calixte, and various department heads. This meeting aimed to strengthen security measures in the department in order to continue to adequately ensure the safety of all citizens and the free movement of goods in this region.
During this strategic meeting, the Departmental Director of the North Police, Divisional Commissioner Sem Calixte, took the opportunity to communicate clear directives to the various department heads to implement stricter security measures for the celebration of the patronal feast of the North department, which will be held from Wednesday, August 13 to Friday, August 15, 2025. It should be noted that these security measures will allow the city of Cap-Haitien, as the traditional venue for this celebration, to welcome with complete peace of mind the arrival of pilgrims and visitors from the 19 comunes that make up the North department, as well as dignitaries from other regions of the country. https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-45513-icihaiti-cap-haitien-patronal-feast-reinforcement-of-security-measures.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
Cap-Haitien Installation of the Communal Development Committee
Yvrose Pierre, Mayor of Cap-Haitien, recently officially installed the Municipal Development Committee (CDC), an important step in local governance. In her remarks, she emphasized the need to move beyond isolated actions to adopt an integrated and inclusive territorial vision, taking into account interconnections with neighboring municipalities.
She reiterated that the Municipal Development Plan is a structuring tool that must now become a lever for inter-municipal cooperation and shared governance. To the members of the CDC, the Mayor sent a clear message : "You are the bearers of our common ambition: to transform the city of Cap-Haïtien through concerted action and transparency." She also called for the commitment of all : the central government, partners, neighboring municipalities, and the diaspora, to build the future of the metropolis together. https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-45543-icihaiti-cap-haitien-installation-of-the-communal-development-committee.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
Monsignor Willy Romélus: A Lifetime Dedicated to Helping Others
Monsignor Joseph Willy Romélus, Bishop Emeritus of Jérémie, passed away on the morning of Tuesday, August 12, 2025, at his private residence in Château, commune of Arniquet, at the age of 94. Since retiring as Bishop of Jérémie in August 2009, he had been serving as vicar at the parish of Saint-Louis de Château. Le Nouvelliste published a biography of Bishop Romélus: https://lenouvelliste.com/en/article/258932/monsignor-willy-romelus-a-lifetime-dedicated-to-helping-others
Displaced youth introduced to poetry
With the aim of offering young victims of gang violence living in displacement camps a genuine space for expression, poet Ricardo Boucher organized a poetry workshop entitled "Let's Return to the Active Voice" from August 4 to 9 at the En Lisant premises in Port-au-Prince, dedicated to these survivors of terror. This Friday, August 8, it's 11 a.m. On Rue des Marguerites, passersby are few and far between, and street vendors are hesitant. In front of the gate of number 10, on the same street that houses the Roger Anglade College, the voices of the participants echo... while below Pacot, gunshots ring out. In the dim light of the building's vast room, about fifteen young people are sitting in a circle. Ricardo Boucher, standing opposite them, invites them to write a poem... about what a poem is. An exercise in mise en abyme for this fourth day of the workshop, which aims to offer these adolescents a space for expression.
According to Ricardo Boucher, the workshop's organizer and trainer, "This workshop pays tribute to Solino, a working-class neighborhood, but also to Jerry Sinéa, who participated in a workshop I led at the French Institute in Haiti (IFH) last year, before being kidnapped by bandits in Solino. His family never saw him again," he explains. "It is therefore both a tribute to his memory and to neighborhoods like Solino, Fort-National, and Carrefour-Feuilles, many of whose residents are now scattered throughout the camps," he continues. "Let's return to the active voice; it means freeing voices that deserve to be heard, like those of young people in the camps and working-class neighborhoods," the poet insists. "These are voices that have been stifled, because some have decided that, coming from these neighborhoods, we should only hear violence," he concludes. https://lenouvelliste.com/article/258872/des-jeunes-deplaces-inities-a-la-poesie
OPINION/ANALYSIS
Rethinking Haiti’s Gangs: the Crossroads of Terrorism, Crime, and Political Power
In this conversation, Wolf Pamphile and Millie Harron delve into the complex security landscape of Haiti, focusing on the emergence of the G9 group and its classification as a hybrid violent actor rather than a traditional gang.
Takeaways
Haiti's security issues are deeply intertwined with its historical context.G9 represents a new typology of violent actors, not just gangs.
Mislabeling groups like G9 can lead to ineffective policy responses.
Gangs in the Global South often provide essential services in the absence of state institutions.
The motivations of G9 include profit maximization and political objectives.International actors must adopt a nuanced approach to Haiti's crisis.
Understanding the differences between Global North and Global South gangs is crucial.
Youth mobilization is a significant factor in the activities of groups like G9.
The trajectory of criminality in Haiti is unique and requires tailored solutions.
Future research should focus on transnational trends in organized crime.
https://youtu.be/swY_1CdFHcY?si=OC8Kg_Ik5yG_ADQ9
Haiti, champagne for some, bullets for others: chronicle of a shipwreck without a captain
By Shizneider BAPTISTE in Le Nouvelliste
As neighborhoods burn and children fall victim to bullets, the Transitional Presidential Council is mired in an indecent power struggle. This text is a cry against inaction, a call to conscience, and a denunciation of the apathy of the elites in the face of the slow agony of a people. The Song of the Ruins.
TAKE ACTION: Organizational Sign-On Letter
The Congressional sign-on letter to Secretaries Rubio and Noem about stopping the flow of illicit weapons from the US to Haiti was sent to them on Friday, August 1st with 32 signatures (https://quixote.org/files/letter_to_secretary_noem_and_secretary_rubio_on_haiti_arms_trafficking_8.1.25.pdf) In support of the letter, organizations are invited to sign on to a similar letter. Here is the link to the sign on form, which includes a link to the letter. The deadline to sign on is August 17.