VZCZCXRO6936
PP RUEHQU
DE RUEHPU #1057/01 1661755
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 151755Z JUN 07
FM AMEMBASSY PORT AU PRINCE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6313
INFO RUEHZH/HAITI COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA PRIORITY 1557
RUEHSA/AMEMBASSY PRETORIA PRIORITY 1376
RUEHQU/AMCONSUL QUEBEC PRIORITY 0819
RUMIAAA/HQ USSOUTHCOM J2 MIAMI FL PRIORITY
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 1230

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PORT AU PRINCE 001057 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA/EX AND WHA/CAR 
S/CRS 
SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD 
STATE PASS AID FOR LAC/CAR 
INR/IAA (BEN-YEHUDA) 
WHA/EX PLEASE PASS USOAS 
DS/IP/WHA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL ASEC KCRM MOPS HA
SUBJECT: FIGHTING GANGS: TWO STEPS FORWARD, ONE STEP BACK 
 
REF: A. PORT AU PRINCE 505 
     ¶B. PORT AU PRINCE 523 
     ¶C. PORT AU PRINCE 966 
     ¶D. PORT AU PRINCE 987 
 
PORT AU PR 00001057  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. (U)  This message is sensitive but unclassified -- please 
protect accordingly. 
 
¶2. (U)  Summary:  Since the beginning of 2007, MINUSTAH and 
the Haitian National Police (HNP) have arrested 750 gang 
members.  The greatest effects are seen in Cite Soleil, where 
new gang members periodically rise to the top only to be 
arrested or chased out by another contender.  In a recent 
setback, the incarceration system released "Ti Bazil," one of 
the first prominent gang members to be arrested, on May 21. 
In Gonaives, where unrest has been the word of the day, the 
HNP have made several arrests, including that of infamous 
gang leader "Ti Will."  Despite these successes, neither 
kidnappings nor murders have been eliminated.  End summary. 
 
Cite Soleil Gangs Vie for Leadership 
------------ 
 
¶3. (SBU)  MINUSTAH continues to hammer away at top gang 
leaders in Cite Soleil.  On May 7, they arrested "Blade 
Nazon," who led the gang based in the Ti Ayiti section of 
Cite Soleil and was reportedly attempting to expand his grip 
over the area (ref B).  The HNP then arrested Wilo Jeune, 
younger brother of Evans Jeune (ref A) at the bus station in 
Gonaives on May 28.  MINUSTAH continues to pursue Evans' 
other brother, Claude, who is reportedly still in Cite 
Soleil.  International Organization for Migration (IOM) 
sources report that gang members are now feeding MINUSTAH 
information concerning the whereabouts of other gangs and 
their weapons caches in an attempt to push their rivals from 
power.  The turf wars affect development work in the area as 
the gang members try to raise money by demanding ''taxes'' 
from NGOs. 
 
Ti Bazil Released 
------------ 
 
¶4. (SBU)  Pierre Louis Johnny, alias Ti Bazil, arrested 
February 18 on charges of kidnapping, illegal possession of a 
firearm, and gang involvement, walked out of jail a free man 
on May 21.  Ti Bazil was one of the first major gang leaders 
arrested in MINUSTAH's push to quell gang violence in Cite 
Soleil.  Police commissar Joseph Louis Mannes, assigned to 
the state attorney's office in Port-au-Prince, signed the 
release order, but justification for the release has not been 
made available.  UN SRSG Edmond Mulet has made claims that Ti 
Bazil bribed a judge approximately USD 2000 for his release. 
MINUSTAH officials told PolCouns that while in custody Ti 
Bazil had been giving the HNP information about at-large Cite 
Soleil gang leader Amaral Duclona, and that now Amaral may be 
looking for revenge.  Upon his release, Ti Bazil reportedly 
returned to his home in Soleil 11, where residents reported 
an increase in gunfire the night of his release.  The latest 
rumor is that after fighting with a rival gang in Soleil 17 
-- where Amaral is rumored to be hiding -- Ti Bazil fled Cite 
Soleil and took up hiding in Petionville. 
 
Progress in Gonaives 
------------ 
 
¶5. (U) MINUSTAH and the HNP on May 27 arrested Gonaives gang 
leader Wilfort Ferdinand, alias Ti Will, as he gave an 
interview on a local radio station.  The arrest marks the 
first strike against rampant gang violence in Gonaives (ref 
C).  Another prominent gang member was killed and three more 
were arrested in a shootout with the HNP on June 1 in 
Gonaives. 
 
New Wave of Murders and Kidnappings 
------------ 
 
¶6.  (U)  Member's of the ''Ti Machete'' gang based in the 
Martissant neighborhood of Port-au-Prince during the first 
 
PORT AU PR 00001057  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
week in May killed two HNP officers in what police believe 
were targeted revenge killings for HNP anti-gang activities 
in the neighborhood.  Kidnappers on May 16 released Nicole 
Chancy, who claimed that the kidnappers revealed that Gary 
Pierre-Paul Charles, the Director of Information for Signal 
FM, was their real taget.  Charles has been receiving 
threats due to is strong denouncing of banditry and gangs on 
his program ''Haiti Today.''  The murder of Francois Ltour, 
one of Haiti's leading actors and media pesonalities, in an 
apparent botched kidnapping onMay 9 capped the media 
coverage of the high proile crime in Port-au-Prince and 
Gonaives over thepast several weeks. 
 
GOH Still Talking Tough 
----------- 
 
¶7. (U)  Prime Minister Jacques Edouad Alexis declared on May 
28 that he has given MIUSTAH and the HNP firm instrctions 
to search out gang members.  In keeping with previous GOH 
statements, he said that ''The government does not intend to 
give free rein to bandits and, on the contrary, we continue 
to pursue them.'' 
 
¶8. (SBU)  Comment:  The release of Ti Bazil exemplifies the 
corruption in the Haitian justice system but may have, 
ironically, strengthened the case for swift action on justice 
reform legislation currently before the parliament (ref D). 
Regardless, MINUSTAH has made great strides in improving the 
overall security of Cite Soleil.  Jockeying for leadership of 
the gangs continues to foment unrest in the area, but the 
violence is greatly reduced from 2006 levels.  The problem 
has morphed from large, organized gang networks to smaller, 
more widely dispersed criminal groups, similar to the problem 
the HNP and MINUSTAH face in other parts of Haiti.  The 
diffuse yet persistent nature of gang activity from Cite 
Soleil to Martissant to Gonaives presents an ongoing 
challenge to MINUSTAH and the HNP.  They can no longer be 
content with targeting a small number of marquee gang 
leaders, but must tackle the wider challenges of basic law 
enforcement. 
SANDERSON