2026-01-15

Operations Against Gang Leadership Vant Bef Info reported January 14 that hideouts belonging to gang leader Jimmy Barbecue Cherizier have been reduced to ashes by kamikaze drones. The report detailed operations in Delmas 6 Bel-Air La Saline Delmas 2 Delmas 4 Delmas 6 and downtown sectors. The Haitian National Police announced the continuation of operations in Delmas 6 affirming its determination to dislodge the armed bandits who have entrenched themselves there and to retake control of the zone. The drone strikes target the most high-profile gang leader in Haiti who commands the G9 an Fanmi e Alye coalition one of Haiti most powerful gang alliances. The January 14 drone strikes are part of a multi-week PNH offensive that included January 6 Bel Air clashes resulting in MSF operations suspension January 9 Varreux terminal closure due to police operations and January 12 PNH press conference announcing seizure of 33 weapons and 12000 munitions. Barbecue strategic significance derives from his role as G9 leader former associations with the PHTK party and accusations of orchestrating massacres during political transitions making him a symbolic target demonstrating government capacity to strike at top-tier gang leadership. The timing of operations 23 days before February 7 suggests the government is attempting to create facts on the ground to legitimize potential CPT extension or demonstrate progress in security conditions. The 37-day gang attack pause continues despite drone strikes against Barbecue hideouts suggesting gangs are maintaining strategic discipline rather than retaliating. This indicates gangs are not weakened per Prime Minister Fils-Aime January 10 claim but rather demonstrating restraint and that Barbecue may have relocated hideouts in advance minimizing operational impact. Gang strategic calculation appears focused on February 7 amnesty negotiations per Crisis Group December 15 warning rather than responding to PNH provocations. The BINUH October report noted that drone operations between March and September 2025 resulted in 547 deaths including 527 suspected gang members and 20 civilians including 11 children establishing precedent for January 15, 2026 civilian casualties from drone strikes. Director General Normil Rameau promised January 12 that routes to the South and North will reopen before February 7 reinforcing the government narrative that PNH operations are achieving territorial gains sufficient to restore transportation corridor functionality. The drone strikes against Barbecue hideouts allow the government to claim turning the tide against gangs and demonstrate state capacity to strike at gang leadership countering narratives of government impotence. However the continuation of the gang attack pause despite strikes against their most prominent leader suggests gangs maintain operational cohesion and strategic patience rather than responding with immediate retaliation creating questions about whether PNH operations are genuinely degrading gang capabilities or merely displacing leadership structures temporarily.