By Breaking Belize News Staff (HP): Haiti’s National Police say they have “neutralised” Mathias Saintil, leader of the Boston gang in Cité Soleil, one of the poorest areas of the capital, Port-au-Prince.
Saintil was reportedly hit by multiple bullets during a police operation and later died in hospital. Haiti’s Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé celebrated on social media, writing, “One less gang leader,” and warning that gangs would not be able to sleep.
The killing comes as El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele takes a more aggressive role in Haiti. After four Salvadoran aviation technicians serving with the international Gang Suppression Force were kidnapped on October 18, Bukele sent as many as 2,000 troops to Haiti and warned gang leaders that worse was coming if the hostages were not returned alive.
Belize has its own reasons to pay attention. National Security Minister Michel Chebat recently said he plans to visit El Salvador to study Bukele’s crime fighting strategies and see whether any lessons could apply here.
That approach has strong supporters, but also critics. Human rights groups say Bukele’s crackdown in El Salvador, including mass arrests and mass trials, has undermined due process and civil liberties.
At home, Belize is under a 30 day state of emergency in Southside Belize City and parts of the Belize and Cayo Districts, following the murder of four men on the Coastal Highway.
The post Haiti gang leader killed as Bukele steps up war on gangs, and Belize watches closely appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Breaking Belize News Staff (HP): Haiti’s National Police say they have “neutralised” Mathias Saintil, leader of the Boston gang in Cité Soleil, one of the poorest areas of the capital, Port-au-Prince. Saintil was reportedly hit by multiple bullets during a police operation and later died in hospital. Haiti’s Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé celebrated
The post Haiti gang leader killed as Bukele steps up war on gangs, and Belize watches closely appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
