Gang leader Jimmy ‘Barbecue’ Cherizier has once again threatened a “genocide” in Haiti if multi-national forces are deployed in the country.
Around 1,000 Kenyan police officers are set to be deployed in Haiti to help the police of Port-au-Prince reclaim control of the city.
But the gangs could put up a fight if foreign forces arrive in the country, threatening to create even more chaos.
Cherizier, who has been accused of orchestrating massacres and arson attacks in Haiti, told France24: “Given the number of weapons present in this country, any serious government will have to get along with the armed groups.
“If there are no negotiations with the gangs, and you send a multi-national force, there is going to be a genocide.”
READ MORE: Haiti bracing for war as foreign forces warn gangs: ‘We will break your backs’
Gang violence in Haiti has been a problem for years, but it has escalated since former Prime Minister Ariel Henry entered talks with Kenya over the deployment of a foreign force in Port-au-Prince.
He was forced to stand down from his role after the gangs took over the main airport in Haiti and stormed two prisons, freeing thousands of criminals.
In March, Cherzier told Sky News that any foreign forces that enter Haiti will be treated as “invaders”.
He said: “I believe that just like I said, if the Kenyans come, first of all, they will come to commit massacres in the poor communities, because the oligarchs and the corrupt politicians are going to tell them where to go on the pretext that they’re coming to eliminate gangs and bandits, and they’re going to enter the poor communities to commit massacres.
“We at this moment who have weapons in our hands are not going to allow this.
“It’s evolving. If the Kenyan military or Kenyan police come, whatever, I will consider them as aggressors, we will consider them as invaders, and we do not have to collaborate with any invaders that have come to walk over our independence.”
Last week, three US missionaries were killed after being ambushed by gunmen as they left a church in Haiti.
Natalie Lloyd, 21, her 23-year-old husband David, and Jude Montis, a 20-year-old Haitian, were named as the victims that lost their lives.
The White House issued a statement calling for the deployment of the Kenyan-led foreign force to be deployed quickly.
A National Security Council spokesperson said “The security situation in Haiti cannot wait”, adding: “Our hearts go out to the families of those killed as they experience unimaginable grief.”