Haiti gang leader to lift fuel blockade amid shortages

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — A powerful gang leader announced Sunday that he was lifting a blockade at a key fuel terminal that has strangled Haiti's capital for nearly two months.

The announcement by Jimmy Cherizier, a former police officer nicknamed “Barbecue,” followed government claims of at least some success in efforts to reclaim the terminal, as well as a United Nations resolution targeting Cherizier with sanctions.

But it remained unclear who actually controls the terminal and the surrounding area, and there had been no evidence that any fuel had been able to leave.

In a speech posted on social media, Cherizier called on truck drivers to come and fill their tanks.

“Drivers can come to the terminal without any fear,” he said.

If fuel can leave, that would ease a crisis that began when Cherizier's G9 gang federation seized control of the area surrounding a fuel depot in Port-au-Prince on September 12 to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry.

The gang's blockade cut off access to about 10 million gallons of diesel and gasoline and more than 800,000 gallons of kerosene, forcing gas stations to close, hospitals to cut back on critical services and banks and grocery stores to operate on a limited schedule.

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