The US on Aug. 12 indicted [12] Jimmy Chérizier AKA "Barbecue [13]," leader of the gang coalition in control of most of the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince, and offered a $5 million reward [14] for information leading to his arrest. Chérizier and an alleged stateside collaborator, Bazile Richardson, are charged with sanctions violations related to arms sales. Meanwhile, private military contractor and Trump ally Erik Prince [20] told Reuters [15] he has signed a 10-year deal with the Haitian government to fight armed groups and help collect taxes—a move some observers fear could further weaken [16] the Haitian security forces and lead to rights violations [17]. Prince's new security firm, Vectus Global [18], has been operating in Haiti since March. (TNH [21])
