Jimmy “Barbecue” Cherizier, marching through Pont Rouge at the head of many hundreds, on his way to honor Jean-Jacques Dessalines on Oct. 17, 2021. Signs read “No to Foreign Political Interference” and “Haiti to Haitians, Built by Haitians.” Photo: John Wesley Amady/Haïti Liberté
Ariel Henry's interim government denies reports that it has distributed money to armed gangs to mark the 215th anniversary of the assassination of Emperor Jean Jacques Dessalines on Sunday, October 17, 2021, in a statement seen by AlterPresse.
Lawyer Samuel Madistin, president of the Fondasyon Je Klere (FJKL), alleged that the government had distributed 20 million gourdes to the armed gangs of the FRG9, led by former policeman Jimmy Cherizier, alias "Barbecue". Madistin claims they did so to attend the traditional floral offering at Pont-Rouge in memory of Jean Jacques Dessalines, Father of the Homeland, assassinated on October 17, 1806.
In an interview with Alterpresse, Madistin said "it's a slap in the face to the Haitian people that Ariel Henry is seeking the sympathy of armed gangs to stay in power, instead of taking the necessary measures to dismantle the gangs".
The Prime Minister's office formally denied these allegations, describing them as false, in a note seen by AlterPresse.
"The sole aim of these allegations is to tarnish the image of the Prime Minister, his government and even the State," says Ariel Henry. He reiterate his commitment to tracking down armed gangs with the utmost rigor.
The Prime Minister's office also "denounces the political manipulations and defamatory acts of certain sectors, who, in order to reign, are sowing confusion and unrest in public opinion, through fabricated slander".
Henry was unable to make a floral offering on Sunday, October 17, 2021, at the foot of the Emperor's monument in Pont-Rouge to commemorate the 215th anniversary of the assassination of the nation's founding father, Jean-Jacques Dessalines.
The delegation accompanying Ariel Henry was forced to flee the scene, under the crackle of automatic weapons fired by armed gangs in the area.
Instead, Henry laid a floral offering at the Altar of the Homeland on the Champ de Mars, in memory of the Emperor.
"To commemorate the 215th anniversary of the assassination of Emperor Jacques 1st, this visionary who nurtured the majestic dream of freedom and progress, I laid a floral offering on the Public Square of Marchand Dessalines, the first capital of free and independent Haiti," Henry explained in a Twitter post.
In contrast to the de facto Prime Minister, gang leader Jimmy Chérizier, accompanied by heavily armed individuals, laid a wreath of flowers at Pont-Rouge.
Former President Jovenel Moïse had not visited Pont-Rouge since 2018 to commemorate the assassination of the Nation's Founding Father due to armed groups operating in the area.
The generals of the battle for independence opted for social cohesion, Ariel Henry recalled during his speech delivered in Arcahaie on October 17, 2021.
De facto Prime Minister says he is working for national reconciliation, with the aim of applying "the agreement of peaceful governance for the interim period", setting up a consensual and inclusive government, a credible Provisional Electoral Council (CEP), and a Constitution that all the people will accept, among others.
"If we don't want to live as brothers, we will die, all of us, as fools," tweeted Ariel Henry, paraphrasing Nelson Mandela.
Translated by CHIP editors
Posted July 9, 2023