Haiti Gang Crisis: Here’s What to Know About 400 Mawozo Gang

Haiti continues to face a crisis, with the United Nations Security Council even holding an urgent session on Monday to deal with the gang violence in the country.

Gang violence continues as Haiti grapples with what the UN described as "catastrophic" hunger, with gangs cutting off access to water and gas.

CBS News reported that U.S. ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said that now is the time to come to the aid of the Haitians in dire need and caught between gang violence and the cholera outbreak.

In October last year, an armed Haitian gang kidnapped 17 members of an Ohio-based missionary group, which included five children. It placed Haiti at the center of an international crisis.

They were reportedly abducted by members of the 400 Mawozo gang in Haiti. All members of the missionary group were eventually released.

Haiti's 400 Mawozo Gang

The 400 Mawozo gang is known to be responsible for 80% of abductions in Haiti from June through September last year, as stated by the director of the Center for Analysis and Research in Human Rights in Port-au-Prince, Gedeon Jean.

Haiti's justice minister, Liszt Quitel, told the Washington Post that the gang demanded a $1 million ransom per hostage during the October kidnapping.

The 400 Mawozo gang is a violent Haitian gang that has taken authority over the roads and communities in and around Port-au-Prince, which is Haiti's capital.

The Haitian gang was also associated with extortion and a new trend of mass kidnappings from cars and buses. It has also targeted clergy and churches.

Authorities identified the alleged leader of the 400 Mawozo gang as Wilson Joseph. He is facing a series of charges, including murder, attempted murder, auto theft, hijacking of goods, and kidnapping.

Joseph reportedly goes by the Creole nickname "Lanmò Sanjou," which roughly translates to "death doesn't know which day it's coming."

He had posted videos describing in detail some of the crimes the 400 Mawozo gang allegedly committed despite the warrant against him.

The Haitian gang has also fought with rival gangs and kidnapped business people, police officers, and street vendors. It has also forced youths in areas it controls to beat up captives and extort communities for money.

According to reports, many of the 400 Mawozo gang's victims are not specific targets but rather bystanders.

Haiti Crisis

Non-government organizations in Haiti warned that the chaos engulfing the country had become total, adding that Haiti is on the verge of collapse, The Guardian reported.

Fiammetta Cappellini, the country representative for the Avis Foundation, said they have never seen any situation like this in their 20 years of working in Haiti.

Cappellini added that violence is everywhere and touches everybody, with the most vulnerable struggling to survive as humanitarian aid fails to reach people.

After the assassination of Haiti's president Jovenel Moise in July last year, violence has erupted in areas of the country.

Haitian gangs, many of which reportedly have links to political circles, exploited a power vacuum to seize more area. UN missions in Haiti have put a stop to violence in the past, but it swiftly returned after they departed.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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