SUMMARY
Nine criminal gangs operating across Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, and considered to be close to the Government of Haiti formed a coalition in June 2020, under the name G9 an Fanmi e Alye (G9 Family and allies). This group was presented as a coalition of community leaders working towards the development of the most underprivileged neighborhoods of Haiti, however, in the months following its creation, it took part in several acts of violence against civilians.
Several gangs in Port-au-Prince actively sought to expand the territories under their control. This led to temporary truces and coalitions such as the one formed in May 2020 by Delmas 19 gang, Delmas 6 gang, Delmas 95 gang, Nan Belekou gang, Nan Boston gang, Nan Chabón gang, Nan Ti Bwa gang, Pilate base gang, Rue St. Martin gang, Simon Pele gang, Wharf de Jeremie gang. Towards June that same year, the nine most powerful gangs within that coalition, namely Delmas 6 gang, Nan Belekou gang, Nan Ti Bwa gang, Nan Chabón gang, Rue St. Martin gang, Wharf de Jeremie gang, Simon Pele gang, Pilate base gang and Nan Boston gang, formed the group G9 an Fanmi e Alye.
The coalition was presented through a video posted on social media by Jimmy Chérizier, alias Barbecue, a former police officer who in 2018 was fired from the National Police of Haiti (PNH) following investigations that identified him as one of the main perpetrators of the massacres in Grand Ravine in 2017 and in La Saline in November 2018 (See: Government of Haiti-Civilians). Appointed as the group’s leader, Chérizier identified himself and fellow members as community leaders fighting poverty and injustice in the most underprivileged neighborhoods in Port-au-Prince. But, while G9 an Fanmi e Alye members were effectively implementing development projects within their territories, they were also known for performing acts of kidnapping, armed robbery and extortion as one of their sources of income. And some were also involved in acts of rape.
The member gangs were believed to have close ties to the government of President Jovenel Moïse, accused of large-scale corruption. Two facts led to this belief. First, the coalition members evaded persecution, even though for years they were pointed as the perpetrators of several crimes across Port-au-Prince. Chérizier stood out in this regard because despite the arrest warrants against him, he continued to move freely and have an active presence on social media without any attempts by forces of the Government of Haiti to effectively arrest him. Second, G9 an Fanmi e Alye members performed attacks against civilians in neighborhoods that organized protests demanding the resignation of Moïse. Similarly, they frequently clashed with other criminal gangs considered to be close to the opposition.
The members of G9 an Fanmi e Alye sought to expand beyond the city into the rest of the Ouest department and successfully gained control of various territories within that department as well as beyond the Port-au-Prince city limits. A territory was considered controlled by G9 an Fanmi e Alye when one of its members appointed one of their allies as the gang leader of that territory (which could have previously been controlled by rival gangs). Despite the group’s expansion, only the original nine members formed the core of the group, while other gangs that actively supported and acted alongside them were recognized as allies.
On February 29, 2024, G9 joined its longtime rival G-Pep, in an alliance called Viv Ansanm (Living Together, Vivre Ensemble) and began engaging in armed conflict against the Haitian government. The new coalition went on to control over 85 percent of the territory in Port-au-Prince.
The group G9 an Fanmi e Alye has been involved in the non-state and one-sided categories of UCDP organized violence.
