C/O Futures Gang Research Note Series
Robert J. Bunker
18 March 2024
In early-to-mid March 2024, allegations of mass cannibalism taking place in the streets of Haiti spread across the international press. These allegations took place within the backdrop of full-scale state failure in Port-au-Prince and the rest of the nation which saw prisons overrun and emptied of their inmates, the international airport coming under siege, and ongoing street battles between heavily armed gang members and governmental police and security forces. Ultimately, an alliance of gangs under the leadership of Jimmy Cherizier (Babekyou; BBQ), head of the G9 coalition, successfully engaged in a criminal insurgency which overthrew the existing government under Prime Minister Ariel Henry. While this situation—reminiscent of a 3GEN Gangs (Third Generation Gangs) dystopian nightmare[1]—is undisputed, the allegations of mass cannibalism taking place in the streets suggests an even greater descent into barbarism and, potentially, dark spirituality. The question to be answered is what the actual ground truth is concerning these allegations.
