Vigilantes in Haiti strike back at gangsters with brutal street justice

64

In the capital of Haiti, a significant neighborhood is barricaded with old cars, used tires, and barbed wire. Rampant robbery, rape, and murder by armed gangsters have plagued the city, with little to no action taken by the weak or corrupt police and officials.

In response, the people have taken matters into their own hands, leading to a wave of brutal vigilante justice sweeping through Haiti. This movement, known as “bwa kale,” has centered its activities in the capital, where approximately one million people reside. Vigilantes seal off neighborhoods, engaging in acts of violence such as stoning, dismembering suspected gangsters, and even burning them alive while they are still conscious.

According to the United Nations, since the inception of the “bwa kale” movement in April, vigilantes have killed at least 164 individuals. The term “bwa kale” translates to “peeled wood” in Haitian Creole, hinting at the concept of male dominance and power in street slang.

Leo, a community leader who granted access to journalists in the Turgeau neighborhood, explained, “If you’re not from here, we’re going to kill you.” He preferred to keep his last name anonymous to safeguard his family.

Throughout the city, banners with messages like “We are tired of the kidnapping” and “Watch out for one another” are displayed, while numerous neighborhoods have erected barricades resembling those in Turgeau.

In Turgeau, Leo and his neighbors diligently guard one of the four makeshift barriers that obstruct the roads leading to their hilly community. Anyone attempting to enter must present identification, open their bags, reveal any gang-related tattoos, and explain their purpose if they are not residents. At night, a password, changed weekly, is required for entry.

Due to the absence of reliable crime statistics from the Haitian police, human rights activists rely on anecdotal evidence to claim that gang-related killings and kidnappings have decreased as a result of the “bwa kale” movement. However, they also express concern about the gruesome nature of the violence and the potential harm to innocent individuals.

Weslander Al Cégaire, a cook from Les Cayes, recounts how his cousin fell victim to the actions of the “bwa kale” participants while riding a motorcycle with a targeted driver. He supports the movement but laments that innocent people are suffering due to the actions of the guilty. Fearful of gang violence and the “bwa kale” movement, he left Port-au-Prince.

The “bwa kale” movement gained momentum in Turgeau after the gang known as “5 Seconds” carried out a deadly attack in late April. The gang’s moniker derives from the claim that it takes them just five seconds to kill someone. The gang set houses and motorcycles ablaze, committed rape, looting, and left a trail of destruction, prompting a stronger response from the community.

Kettia, a resident who preferred not to disclose her full identity, described how the gang abducted her husband, coerced him to lead them out of the neighborhood, and used him as a human shield during a shootout with the police. Thankfully, he survived. Kettia, a soft-spoken woman, tries to stay strong for her young children but remains worried about the gang’s potential return.

She acknowledged, “If the people involved in ‘bwa kale’ didn’t stand up, the situation could have been worse.”

According to a United Nations report issued in May, over 1,630 people were killed, wounded, or kidnapped in Haiti during the first three months of the year, representing an almost 30% increase compared to the previous quarter. In April alone, more than 600 deaths were reported, surpassing the total number of homicides (846) in the preceding three months.

Although Prime Minister Ariel Henry called for the immediate deployment of an international military force to combat gang violence in October, neither the UN Security Council nor the United States or Canada have taken action.

María Isabel Salvador, the U.N. special envoy for Haiti, emphasized, “Haiti truly can’t take it anymore,” urging the world to respond to the crisis.

Haiti’s National Police force comprises approximately 9,000 active officers, which is inadequate for a population of over 11 million people. While the police have made over 2,700 arrests and confiscated numerous weapons through Operation “Tornado,” launched in January to target gangs, they often find themselves overwhelmed. In Haiti, both the police and civilians are confronting an estimated seven major gang alliances, along with around 200 affiliated groups.

In Turgeau, some vigilantes carry sharpened machetes, like Réné Mizak, a 63-year-old man who claims to be a former member of the Tonton Macoute, a private militia notorious for terrorizing Haiti during the dictatorships of Francois “Papa Doc” Duvalier and Jean-Claude Duvalier.

Mizak explained, “I bought it [the machete] to defend myself,” emphasizing their pursuit of justice in their own way.

Having witnessed three suspected gang members being killed by “bwa kale” participants in Turgeau, Mizak revealed how he recently severed one man’s arm and burned another’s face with gasoline because they were unrecognized in the community.

The “bwa kale” movement commenced when the police detained 13 suspected gang members during a traffic stop in Port-au-Prince in late April. Israel Bien-Aimé, who claimed to have participated in stoning and setting fire to the group, remembered, “We took them from the police and finished them,” expressing his belief that this movement offers the only viable solution to the gang problem in Haiti. He affirmed their determination to continue their actions, stating, “If we found a bandit right now, we would hold them, beat them, and kill them.”

The killings have become increasingly gruesome. In one incident, a man rode a motorcycle just a few blocks from Turgeau while carrying a decapitated head, with the crowd shouting, “Bwa kale! Bwa kale!” The incident was captured on video and has since been widely shared on social media, drawing international attention.

While the gangs have yet to respond directly to the “bwa kale” movement, some neighborhoods anticipate potential retaliation. In a recent TikTok video, a man claiming to be a member of a gang controlling the Grand Ravine area southeast of Port-au-Prince warned that the “bwa kale” movement would eventually reach their territory. Wearing a black balaclava and a belt of .50-caliber bullets around his neck, he calmly stated that his gang would offer Haitians their own taste of “bwa kale” in due time.

This report contains contributions from Evens Sanon, a journalist from Big Big News.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Vigilante justice in Haiti

More about Vigilante justice in Haiti

• BBC News: Vigilantes in Haiti take on gangs
• Associated Press: Vigilantes strike back at gangsters in Haiti
• The Guardian: Haiti’s vigilantes deliver brutal justice to suspected gang members
• Reuters: Vigilantes in Haiti resort to brutal street justice
• United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti: Report on Crime Statistics