Port-au-Prince, The Haitian police has arrested the leader of one of the country’s gangs, which led to armed clashes on the streets of Haiti’s capital of Port-au-Prince.
“The Haitian National Police arrested Ezechiel Alexandre, nicknamed Ze, leader of the base Pilate gang, on Sunday, June 26, 2022, at Carrefour Feuilles [area] in Place Jeremie [park],” the police said on Twitter on Monday night.
On Monday, armed men appeared in several districts of Port-au-Prince, demanding the release of the leader of the gang that is accused of organizing kidnappings and murders. In the metropolitan area of Portail Leogane shops and institutions are closed, and neither pedestrians nor cars remained on the streets.
On Sunday, Haitian media outlet Haiti Infos Pro reported, citing the head of the national human rights network, Pierre Esperance, that Alexandre was involved in the massacres in various areas of the capital, including La Saline, Bel-Air, Pont-Rouge, and Cite-Soleil. Alexandre was also behind the recruitment of retired police officers into the ranks of gangs involved in murders, kidnappings, rapes, and robberies, the news agency added.
Haiti is facing a severe security crisis. According to official figures, 201 people were kidnapped for ransom or murder in May, while from the beginning of the year there were more than 500 such cases.
