Rezo Nòdwès urges gang leaders to name those who armed them

Rezo Nòdwès has published an appeal addressed to Haiti's gang leaders. The newspaper asks them to reveal what they know about the people who may have armed them, financed them and used them. It refers to these alleged backers as "gangs in ties." It is calling for names, along with documents and testimony that can be verified, to be handed over to the justice system or the press.

What the newspaper is asking of the gang leaders

The text urges them not to wait for the CNDDR before laying down their weapons and speaking out. It also asks them to acknowledge their responsibility. It states that they should not expect their revelations to wipe out the crimes they have committed. It cites President Préval, who said not to go to the grave carrying secrets.

The newspaper details the toll of the armed groups' violence: grieving families, ruined businesses, deserted schools and a paralyzed Republic.

The questions that remain unanswered

The newspaper raises several questions without answering them:

- who supplied the guns, the ammunition and the funding;

- who recruited the gang leaders and arranged for the weapons to arrive;

- who wrote the letters sent to international bodies;

- whether people who backed these groups now aspire to become, or to become again, president, senator, deputy, mayor or director general.

It writes that the gang leaders did not necessarily travel to Miami, Santo Domingo, Kingston or Colombia to arrange their supplies.

A count that needs checking

According to Rezo Nòdwès, there were 26 gang leaders. The death of Mathias Saintil, confirmed by the Haitian authorities, is said to have brought relief to the residents of Cité Soleil. According to the newspaper, that number could fall to 25, but the count has yet to be verified.

The newspaper ends its appeal by promising gang leaders who speak out that they can leave in peace. It adds that the country's streets would then regain their calm.