This article is based on a single report published by BBC Arabic. The information in the report has not been independently verified.
According to the report, an armed group calling itself “Taliban” operates in Haiti. The report said the group operates in the Canaan area of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and that its leader is named Jeff Gwo Lwa.
According to the report, armed groups now control 80 percent of Port-au-Prince. The report also says that no elections have been held in Haiti for 10 years, and that its president was assassinated five years ago.
BBC Arabic reported that the United Nations said more than 5,700 people were killed or injured in nine months due to violence by armed groups in Haiti or operations against them. It also cited the United Nations as saying that more than 230,000 people were kidnapped in the same period, and that at least 1,000 women and girls are estimated to have been raped.
Romain Le Cour, whom BBC Arabic identified as head of the Haiti and Caribbean monitoring desk at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, estimates that there are between 150 and 200 armed groups in Haiti. He estimates that each group has between 8,000 and 20,000 members, including children. These are estimates attributed to him.
Le Cour said armed groups control all roads leading to the capital and charge fees on goods at checkpoints. He also said international airports are closed, and that the groups have taken control of areas in the provinces that police cannot reach. Le Cour told BBC Arabic: “They control all the roads leading to the capital. This means that if you want to reach the capital, you have to pass through checkpoints run by the armed groups.”
According to the report, the name of the Haitian group “Taliban” appeared alongside other gangs in a report submitted to the UN Security Council. That report describes these groups as criminal entities involved in trafficking weapons, drugs and fuel, abusing migrants, and extortion.
Accounts differ on the reason for the name. The editor-in-chief of an online news outlet in Haiti, whose name was not given, said: “This name is taken directly from the name of the Afghan Taliban movement.” He said the name comes from the Afghan movement because they see it as rebellious and brave. Le Cour, however, said the word is used in Haitian street slang to describe a strong, respected and influential person, and that the group is seen as resisting the state.
According to the report, three years ago the group took over a radio station in Mirebalais and renamed it “Taliban FM.” The station had broadcast propaganda material and speeches by the group's leader.
According to the report, groups with the same name exist in two other countries. In Kenya, a group calling itself “Taliban” formed in the early 2000s after splitting from the Baghdad Boys, according to the report. Its activities include, according to reports, extorting public transport drivers, drug trafficking, robbery, and mobilising people for political rallies.
In Peru, the gang “Los Taliban” operates in the city of Trujillo, according to the report. According to reports, it has been involved in extorting transport companies, threatening drivers, and armed clashes with rival groups. Police announced last year, according to the report, the arrest of members of the gang and the dismantling of one of its cells.