Leader of Haiti’s 400 Mawozo gang, which kidnapped American missionaries, is flown to U.S.
Cette adresse e-mail est protégée contre les robots spammeurs. Vous devez activer le JavaScript pour la visualiser.
Updated May 03, 2022 5:34 PM
The leader of an infamous gang behind an ongoing armed conflict with another gang in Haiti was flown by federal agents from Port-au-Prince to the United States on Tuesday in connection with last year’s kidnapping of 16 American missionaries.
Haiti National Police confirmed that Germine Joly, better known as Yonyon, was sent to the U.S. aboard a special FBI flight following a request from the U.S. on April 22. Police did not say where he was being taken and the FBI did not immediately respond to request for comment, but a source told the Miami Herald that Joly was being flown to Washington, D.C.
Joly is considered to be the leader of the 400 Mawozo gang, which has been involved in an ongoing armed conflict that has led to the deaths of at least 20 civilians over the past nine days and forced hundreds of Haitians from their home in the area east of Port-au-Prince.
Until his transfer Tuesday, Joly had been held at the National Penitentiary in Port-au-Prince. From behind bars, he ran 400 Mawozo using his cell phone and negotiated the release of hostages while also trying to negotiate his freedom. Known for its mass abductions, the gang was behind the kidnapping last year of a group of Roman Catholic clergy, including French citizens, and then later a group of 17 American and Canadian missionaries with Ohio-based charity Christian Aid Ministries.
Some of the U.S. missionaries were held for as long as two months before finally being released after an undisclosed ransom amount was paid. During their captivity, the gang asked for $17 million and its second-in-command, Wilson Joseph, known as Lanmò Sanjou, threatened on social media to “put a bullet” in the missionaries if the gang’s demand for $1 million per hostage wasn’t met.
As the missionaries were being held hostage, federal agents arrested three Florida residents on federal charges for allegedly smuggling firearms in barrels from South Florida to 400 Mawozo. The criminal complaint unsealed in late October said that Eliande Tunis, Jocelyn Dor and Walder St. Louis filled orders for weapons such as AK-47s and AR-15 for two unnamed 400 Mawozo leaders. Tunis is a U.S. citizen, while Dor and St. Louis are Haitian nationals.
Prosecutors claim that Tunis lived in Florida and “is a member of 400 Mawozo.” The complaint says that on Oct. 9, , Tunis sent an audio file to “co-conspirator 1 on WhatsApp in Creole saying ‘We are snakes. We slither to get where we are going. They would be shocked to see Mawozo invade Miami.’”
The FBI criminal complaint for all three defendants doesn’t identify Joly by name but says co-conspirator 1 “is a Haitian national and a leader of 400 Mawozo” who is “incarcerated, but still serves as a leader in the organization and directs operations from prison using an unmonitored cellular phone.” That individual is believed to be Joly.
The complaint also speaks of another individual, though not by name. He is described as serving as a leader and appearing on “videos posted on social media, stated his name and declared himself as the leader of 400 Mawozo.” That individual is believed to be “Lanmò Sanjou,” which means “death doesn’t know which day its coming.”
The 400 Mawozo gang is believed to be behind the recent kidnapping of a Dominican diplomat and U.S. citizen, Carlos Guillén Tatis, who went missing on Friday while traveling through the gang’s stronghold in Croix-des-Bouquets on his way to the border.
Sources familiar with Joly’s activities said much of the ransom money collected by his gang went directly to him, which he in turn used to purchase arms and keep police officers and lawyers on his payroll. After the arrest of the three Floridians, he grew increasingly concern about his possible extradition, sources told the Miami Herald.
The ongoing armed conflict may have sped up Joly’s extradition. For weeks, rumors had circulated of a planned prison break involving the National Penitentiary, and concerns grew that Joly might meet the same fate as Arnel Joseph, another notorious gang leader the FBI had targeted. Joseph was was shot by police last February while traveling on a motorcycle in the town of L’Estère after a deadly prison break of the Croix-des-Bouquets Civil Prison.
In a statement on its Facebook page, Haiti police said Joly is being prosecuted via an international warrant issued by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia for conspiracy and violation of the U.S. Export and Contraband Control Reform Act, importation of weapons of war and kidnapping of American citizens.
Joly’s arrest is likely to spread panic among Haitian gangs, because it offers U.S. law enforcement and State Department officials the opportunity to learn more about the inner workings of 400 Mawozo, which controls one of the largest territories in Haiti. Following the release of the American missionaries, the gang had splintered, with Joly controlling one group and reportedly launching an attack while he was in prison to show he was still in charge.
“With the transfers of Yonyon to the U.S., we can learn a lot about how the gang functions and the people connected to them and giving them guns,” said Pierre Esperance, a human rights activist in Haiti.
In their statement Tuesday, Haiti police described Joly as “the leader of the criminal organization called ‘400 Mawozo’ involved in several criminal acts including assassination, kidnapping, vehicle theft, destruction of private property and arson, etc.”
Joly was taken by federal agents nine days after his gang launched an attack against a rival gang, Chen Mechan, in the lowland east of metropolitan Port-au-Prince. The armed conflict has killed at least 20 civilians and led to several torched homes. Hundreds of people have had to flee the combat area.
During the conflict, Lanmò Sanjou released a voice note saying he had been warned by a Haitian official of an attempt to kill Joly and that he would kill “thousands” if anything were to happen to the gang leader.
Joly was first arrested in Haiti in 2014 after authorities accused him of armed robbery, membership in a gang and kidnapping.
Miami Herald staff writer Jay Weaver contributed to this report.
This story was originally published May 3, 2022 5:06 PM.
Special Advisor for the Summit of the Americas Christopher Dodd Travel to Barbados
Special Advisor for the Summit of the Americas Christopher Dodd traveled to Bridgetown, Barbados, April 19-20 to meet with Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders to discuss regional priorities in advance of the Ninth Summit of the Americas this June in Los Angeles, California.
Senator Dodd engaged with CARICOM leaders in-person and virtually. The Senator spoke with Heads of Government from The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.
Discussion focused on such topics as energy security, climate change, disaster preparedness, and economic recovery. CARICOM leaders acknowledged the importance of incorporating Caribbean voices and addressing these issues at the upcoming Summit of the Americas.
The Summit of the Americas, the only meeting that brings together the leaders of North, South, and Central America and the Caribbean, will play a central role in shaping the future of the hemisphere. The region’s governments, civil society, and private sector will work to develop a shared vision built around the theme for this year’s meeting, “Building a Sustainable, Resilient, and Equitable Future.”
For press inquiries, contact Cette adresse e-mail est protégée contre les robots spammeurs. Vous devez activer le JavaScript pour la visualiser..
Cayes-Jacmel rara band involved in deadly crash wins contest
BY THE HAITIAN TIMES APR. 27, 2022
Rara band revelers at the 10th edition of Festi Rara on April 15, 2022. Photo credit: Jacmel Info
By Jean-Paul Saint-Fleur
CAYES-JACMEL, Haiti — Three days after six fans of a rara band died in a vehicle crash, the band learned that it won the musical competition the victims attended just before the wreck.
“We’re happy that we won,” said Nesly Jeudy, the treasurer of Inosan Rara band. “Unfortunately, we can’t celebrate that victory, we’re in mourning now.”
The Festi Rara contest took place Apr. 15. The day after, coming from a parade, the Mack truck carrying revelers back to Jacmel crashed and overturned, killing six people, and injuring 72 others.
Festi Rara is the biggest rara contest in Cayes-Jacmel and has taken place on Holy Friday for the past 10 years. With the fatal crash taking precedence, the winner was not announced until Apr. 19.
Inosan received 15,000 gourdes, about USD $137, as part of the prize money from Festi Rara. The band planned to split the amount as well as other money they raised with relatives of those who died.
“It’s a gesture to show that we’re with the family,” Jeudy said. “We will never forget them. We would do more if we had more.”
Nyvia Diclair, mother of victim Francisco Raymonde, received 10,000 gourdes as a contribution from the band.
“Despite myself, I took the envelope,” Diclair said. “No one purposely killed my son, it was an accident and the child I loved so much died.”
Another family rejected the envelope because its members are angry with the rara band leaders, Jeudy said.
To celebrate the bittersweet victory, Inosan planned to also gather fans for a big parade.
Correction: This story has been updated to clarify information that was mistranslated.
National Center of Haitian Apostolate
THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER (May 1st, 2022)
Ac 5: 27-31 + 40-41; Ps 30; Rev 5: 11-14; Jn 21: 1-19
Msgr. Pierre André Pierre
The stunning event of Christ’s Resurrection has taken place. Everybody is stunned. The Apostles are puzzled. On the one hand, having seen the Risen Lord with their own eyes, they joyfully proclaimed the miraculous event. But at the same time, persecuted by the Pharisees and the Jewish courts, they felt like giving up and going back to their old trade.
In today’s Gospel, we see Peter and his friends spending the whole night fishing yet catching nothing. At dawn, Jesus appears on the lakeshore. He shouts to them: Cast your net on the right side. Surprise! The nest is filled to the breaking point. A first lesson was taught. “Without me, you can do nothing.”
Another key teaching will soon follow: Peter is asked 3 times Do you love me more than these. At his successive positive answers, Jesus tells him “Feed my lambs.” “Tend my sheep.” “Feed my sheep.” Jesus then announced Peter’s future martyrdom for the sake of the Gospel concluding with the call “Follow me!” These words are directed to Peter personally not to the other apostles.
We find here a key verse assigning a pivotal and undeniable role to Peter as the official leader of the Apostles. The Pope in Rome is the successor of Peter. His mission is the preserve the unity of the Church. The twelve Apostles and their successors will have to bring Jesus’s Salvation to the whole world, but they must remain united under One Head. Otherwise, the One Church Jesus founded will be marred by division, confusion, and rivalry. Peter received the key of the Kingdom to lead the Church (Mt 16:19). Let’s hold fast to Jesus’s Message of Unity and Love. Let us adhere firmly to the community of the body of Christ.
Chaos, gang violence again erupt in Haiti. Even human rights advocates are targets
Tue, April 26, 2022
Violence is again erupting in Haiti, where armed clashes between warring violent gangs are once more forcing residents to flee their homes under a hail of bullets.
How dangerous are things right now? The head of the country’s disarmament commission narrowly escaped harm Tuesday morning along with his driver when their car was hit with a spray of gunfire.
A United Nations helicopter was reportedly hit with a bullet while parked on a runway in Port-au-Prince. A photo of the damage was making the rounds on social media. The helicopter is used to ferry U.N. workers to remote locations in the country.
Covid-19, Ukraine affecting food security in the Caribbean, new report says
The state of siege on the eastern edge of the capital began around 4 a.m. Sunday, say residents, and has stalled everything from public transportation to the operation of street markets between Croix-des-Missions and Bon Repos, seven miles northeast of the capital and not far from the sprawling encampment where victims of the 2010 earthquake sought refuge after the disaster.
“We are practically paralyzed here,” said a local resident and pastor named Steeve, who declined to give his last name, and was marking his third day in the village of Caradeux separated from his family in Tabarre because of the shootings. “We cannot do anything.”
It is unclear how many people have died or have been shot since the violence broke out — neither police nor members of the government have made any official statements, and the Haiti National Police spokesman did not respond to a phone call.
Human rights groups contacted by the Miami Herald say “it’s impossible” to know at the moment how many casualties there have been, and they are still trying to understand what’s behind the violence.
The violence is the latest chapter of chaos in a politically unstable and volatile Haiti where for days, long lines have been forming at fueling stations because of empty tanks; and security issues over the weekend led to U.S. airlines delaying takeoff after they were informed there was a temporary shortage of jet fuel at the Toussaint Louverture International Airport and they would need to bring their own.
In one instance, an American Airlines flight was forced to refuel in neighboring Santo Domingo before heading back to Miami.
Late Tuesday, the ministry of communications, addressing the panic being caused by low fuel stocks in the country, announced that new deliveries are scheduled to arrive in the country by the end of the week and the government has not taken any decision to increase the price of fuel.
By 7:30 p.m., the shooting had resumed in the area. The intense sound of high-powered rifles could be heard shooting nonstop in the Santo 17 neighborhood as terrorized residents were forced to spend another day without access to food or water.
“Haiti is blocked,” said Pierre Espérance, a leading human rights defender, who said his National Human Rights Defense Network counted several dozen residents including babies at a public park in the Clercine neighborhood who were forced to leave their homes because of the shooting. “We are in a situation where the only thing you can think about is your security. Not schooling, not anything else. There is no living here. The insecurity situation has paralyzed the country. ... If you don’t have a need to go out in Haiti, you don’t go out.”
Last week, a group of U.S. lawmakers including Reps. Gregory W. Meeks and Michael McCaul, chairman and ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, issued a letter condemning death threats against Esperance and the staff of his National Human Rights Defense Network.
The threats against Esperance were in retaliation for his work, the letter said, and “are extremely alarming.”
“Any further attempts to silence, intimidate, harass, threaten, or cause harm to Mr. Esperance or RNDDH staff are intolerable,” the letter said. “We call on the Haitian authorities to investigate any threats made against Mr. Esperance and take all necessary steps to ensure his safety and the safety of his colleagues.”
In addition to Esperance, the outspoken head of a disarmament commission appointed by the late President Jovenel Moïse, Jean Rebel Dorcenat, said Tuesday that he had “a serious threat” hanging over his head. His car was shot up by unknown individuals in the morning, he said, adding that he and his driver were unharmed. Dorcenat has long claimed that as part of his job, he compiled a list of individuals involved in arms and ammunition trafficking in the country. However, he has never made the names public.
Residents in the neighborhoods currently under gang attack have described the violence as “shocking” and “scary.” It is fanning fears, they say, that the sprawling area of Croix-des-Bouquets, Santo and La Plaine, which connects the capital to the Central Plateau and the border with the neighboring Dominican Republic, could become Haiti’s next No Man’s Land after Martissant, the gang-ridden neighborhood to the south.
Since June, armed groups have forced the displacement of over 20,000 Haitians from their homes in Martissant and surrounding communities, and cut off Port-au-Prince from four regional departments in the south, including those devastated by last year’s deadly earthquake. .
In the cases where people have been able to cross, they’ve had to pay gangs for passage, which still offers no guarantees against violence.
Should Croix-des-Bouquets fall completely into the hands of gangs, it would leave Port-au-Prince with just one access, its northern entrance, to the rest of the country. And even there, there are no guarantees, with gang clashes near the seaport and airport also turning deadly at times.
At the center of the current violence are two gangs: One is known as Chen Mechan, which translates to “Mean Dog,” and the other is 400 Mawozo, the notorious armed group that was behindand a group ofr. The gangs are said to be fighting over territory after 400 Mawozo tried to install one of its leaders in the other gang’s territory.
A voice note circulating on social media has warned the Haitian police to stay out of the fight.
Last week, both U.S. and French diplomats told the Herald that in the coming months. Haiti’s partners have committed to embedding foreign police advisers in the force and creating anti-gang and SWAT units. Haitians, however, have warned that strengthening the police will require more than the creation of anti-gang units, but also a thorough cleaning to remove corrupt cops with ties to gang leaders.
Esperance said while police officers are implicated in that they have close ties to gang members, the Haitian authorities need to remove the power from the gangs by cracking down on the illegal importation of arms and ammunition at the country’s seaports, especially the main port in Port-au-Prince.
Until then, residents like Steeve, 40, say they are being held hostage to the violence.
“That is our biggest worry,” he said, wondering out loud if he will be able to find a motorcycle to take him to go see his four traumatized kids and wife in nearby Tabarre, the same Port-au-Prince suburb where the U.S. Embassy is located. He knows people who have been shot, Steeve said, and his brother’s house was hit with a bullet.
“The people today have no refuge,” Steeve said. “Nowhere is safe in Haiti.”
