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Haiti’s National Police canceled all leave. Embassies followed suit. No one wanted to test what Barbecue had planned once his coalition seized control of major routes.
Barbecue’s threat didn’t come out of nowhere. It came days after a major joint operation made up of Haitian forces and the new Trump‑backed Gang Suppression Force hit one of Haiti’s most dangerous organizations hard.
On Friday, specialized Haitian units — partnered with international anti‑gang teams — launched a major strike on the 400 Mawozo gang. Several criminals were killed, and authorities seized a Barrett .50‑caliber sniper rifle along with multiple assault weapons.
The coalition leading the mission released a statement stressing their intent: “This operation sends a clear and unequivocal message: the era of unchecked gang dominance is over.”
That declaration enraged Barbecue and his Viv Ansanm network. And for good reason — the Trump administration overhauled Biden’s failed Kenya-led mission, transforming it from a timid police‑training program into an authorized combat force with a mandate to “neutralize, isolate and deter gangs.”
The U.N. approved the new 5,550‑member force in September after the previous effort collapsed under Biden. Kenya had deployed fewer than 1,000 officers, far too few to challenge gangs that now control up to 90% of Port‑au‑Prince. Over 5,600 people were killed in 2024, and 2025 is already trending worse. More than 1.3 million Haitians have been forced from their homes.
Even as the U.N. sheltered in place, American Marines showed the world what real leadership looks like. On Thursday, gang members opened fire near the U.S. Embassy. Marines immediately returned fire, neutralizing the threat. No Americans were injured.
Later that same week, during the major police operation targeting 400 Mawozo, a Haitian helicopter went down after losing power. Ground units raced to rescue the crew, even as gangs unleashed heavy gunfire. Despite the ambush, all personnel were safely evacuated.
That spirit of determination stands in stark contrast to the U.N.’s response: retreat and remote work.
Barbecue now leads Viv Ansanm, the gang alliance designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization in May by the Trump administration. The U.S. State Department placed a $5 million bounty on him after prosecutors — including U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro — indicted him for conspiring to violate American sanctions.
His record is long and bloody. In 2020, he was sanctioned for orchestrating the La Saline massacre where 71 people were butchered, hundreds of homes destroyed, and multiple women raped.
Now, unbelievably, he’s threatening to topple Haiti’s transitional government unless his gang coalition receives political power.
The U.N. thought these gangs could be reasoned with. They were wrong. Barbecue isn’t a political partner — he’s a terrorist who has carved out territory through fear and brutality.
Trump’s Gang Suppression Force is doing what international bureaucrats refused to: taking the fight directly to the criminal armies tearing Haiti apart.
And this week made it painfully clear: America’s Marines stand firm under fire, while the U.N. hides whenever a gang leader posts a video.
Haiti doesn’t need more speeches or diplomatic statements.
It needs exactly what Trump’s strategy is delivering — overwhelming force until the gangs are no longer capable of terrorizing a nation.
