“Social media is responsible for a lot of the insecurity climate that we have here,” said James Boyard, a political scientist at the State University of Haiti. In some posts, gang leaders flash cash, gold chains and blinged-out watches, signifiers of a lifestyle that is far out of reach for the great majority in this impoverished nation. Gangs use social media to promote themselves, push narratives, show their strength, delegitimize state institutions and recruit members. Izo uses several platforms to threaten and mock rivals, police officers and journalists. In a Twitter post, an account purporting to belong to him urged backers to “ransack everything.”Īs violence between gangs in Port-au-Prince escalated in recent months, gang members posted photos of corpses on WhatsApp, human rights groups say. When Cherizier united warring gangs here into the G9 Family and Allies, he announced the alliance on YouTube. Treasury said in a release, including a five-day attack in May 2020 in which civilians were slain and houses burned. Jimmy Cherizier is a former police officer on whom the United States has imposed sanctions for allegedly leading armed groups in “coordinated, brutal attacks in Port-au-Prince neighborhoods,” the U.S. “We always had bandits in Haiti, but without these platforms, they would not be as famous.” “The bandits would never have been as powerful as they are in Haiti without social media,” said Yvens Rumbold of Policité, a policy think tank here. Some here are calling for tighter controls. Posts aimed at energizing recruits, intimidating rivals and terrorizing the population are challenging the ability of the platforms to police the problematic content. The violent armed gangs that control much of Haiti are using social media to expand their reach and tighten their grip on the beleaguered Caribbean nation. He won’t show his gun on camera, he says – or his video might be reported to the platforms’ moderators. “You don’t have to wait for my orders,” Izo says in a video posted this month to tens of thousands of followers on TikTok and Instagram. He repeats the message for his “soldiers.” If anyone in territory controlled by his 5 Segonn gang is killed, the amateur rapper known as “Izo” warns, he’ll slaughter 30 people in revenge. PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – The man wears a balaclava with a wide, toothy grin on the front – a stark contrast to the angry, threat-laden rant he’s delivering.
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