Haiti gang leader warns of civil war, 'genocide', unless PM Ariel Henry steps down

Haitian gang leader Jimmy Cherizier, has warned of initiating a civil war and "genocide" unless Prime Minister Ariel Henry steps down from his post, reported AI Jazeera.

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Jimmy Cherizier, also known as Barbecue, and other armed criminal gangs, who control large swathes of the country, launched a coordinated assault to remove the prime minister when he was out of the country last week.

Haitian PM Henry, who was supposed to step down in February, was in Puerto Rico, a United States territory, on Tuesday after the Dominican Republic refused permission for his plane to land.

Notably, the Dominican Republic shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, AI Jazeera reported.

"If Ariel Henry doesn't resign, if the international community continues to support him, we'll be heading straight for a civil war that will lead to genocide," Cherizier, a