Haitian gang leader Jimmy Cherizier, also known as Barbecue, has taken to social media to respond to indictments by the US government by pledging to cooperate.
Barbecue said in a video posted on TikTok and Instagram that he will work with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), possibly a tactic to win himself more time.
In videos shared on his pages, where he spoke in Haitian Creole, the feared gang leader—who heads Viv Ansanm coalition of gangs in the Caribbean nation—said he was prepared to collaborate.
Kenya is currently leading a Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission in Haiti, a mission he and his gang members had vowed to fight, even after initially saying they would be ready for political dialogue with the transitional government.
Last week, the US offered a reward of $5 million (Sh645 million) for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of Barbecue, a former police officer in Haiti.
Washington had earlier sanctioned him and other gang leaders, making it a criminal offence for any US entity to enter business with him, and banning him from setting foot on US soil.
In a video, though, he spoke of wanting to cooperate as long as it is a fair investigation.
“My name is Jimmy Cherizier, ‘Barbecue’. If the FBI wants me, I’m here. I’m willing to collaborate with them on one condition: there can be no lies told,” he said in the video.
According to him, US national Bazile Richardson, whom the US fingered for working with Haitian gangs, has never sent him money to fund the ongoing unrest in the country.
“Basil Richardson is innocent. He has never sent any money to me to finance anything in Haiti. Stop with all those lies, and we can collaborate,” he added.
In a statement, the US Department of State accused the pair of soliciting money from Haitians residing in the US to fund the violence that has resulted in deaths and displacement. Bazile Richardson was arrested on July 23 in Pasadena, Texas, and is expected to make his initial court appearance today in the District of Columbia.
The department further claimed that, as the leader of Viv Ansanm—which was designated by the Secretary of State on 2 May 2025 as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT)—Cherizier is a central figure responsible for gang violence in Haiti.
“Notorious for his total disregard for human dignity, Cherizier is directly involved in the mass murder and rape of Haitian civilians,” the statement read.
In December 2020, Cherizier and two Haitian public officials were sanctioned under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act for their roles in the La Saline massacre and other severe human rights abuses.
“Today’s reward offer complements the Department of Justice’s unsealing of the indictment against Cherizier in the District of Columbia, charging him with one count of conspiracy to violate US sanctions under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). Cherizier evaded sanctions placed on him in 2020 under the Global Magnitsky Act. His co-defendant, Bazile Richardson, also made his initial court appearance today in Washington, DC,” the statement continued.
The security situation in Haiti has deteriorated over the past four months, with 1,520 people killed, highlighting the mounting challenges faced by the international security mission.
These developments come as the US closed its embassy in Port-au-Prince following a deadly exchange of gunfire in the Tabarre area. Washington also issued a travel advisory to US nationals, warning against travel to Haiti.
The alert instructed US government officials to suspend all official travel outside diplomatic premises and urged people to avoid the area entirely.
The United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) reported that armed violence, human rights abuses, and population displacement have increased over the past four months, as overwhelmed MSS officers struggle to maintain order.
Ingeborg Richardson, the Acting Head of BINUH and UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, stated this week of new large-scale population displacement.
Since January, BINUH estimates that over 1.3 million people have been displaced due to ongoing clashes between police and gangs.
