The head of an influential gang alliance threatened on Tuesday that a “civil war” would break out in Haiti if embattled de facto Prime Minister Ariel Henri remains in power, as violence has risen dramatically since last week in the Caribbean nation, the poorest in the western hemisphere.

“If Ariel Henry does not resign, if the international community continues to support him, we will go directly to a civil war that will lead to genocide,” explained Jimmy Serizier, also known as “Barbecue”, during a press conference.

Heavily armed gangs, which control entire sectors of Haiti, including neighborhoods in the capital Port-au-Prince, announced last week that they would launch coordinated attacks to force the government to step down. Since then, they have multiplied their attacks against strategic installations, taking advantage of the absence of the prime minister, who was abroad.

“We must unite. Haiti will either be a paradise for all of us, or a hell for all of us,” added Jimmy Serizier, 46, a former policeman turned leader of a gang alliance known as the G9, which has been sanctioned by the UN.

“There is no question of a small group of rich people living in luxury hotels deciding the fate of the residents of the popular districts,” said “Barbecue”.

Ariel Henri, in power after the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise, which exacerbated the country’s crisis, is trying to return to Haiti and yesterday landed in Puerto Rico, an American territory in the Caribbean.