Haiti’s 400 Mawozo gang offers authorities dialogue — Taipei Times
Haitian gang 400 Mawozo said it had approached the National Commission for Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration with an offer of dialogue for the sake of peace, stability and national reconciliation. As Taipei Times reports, the group sent The Associated Press a three-page statement in which it described dialogue as a responsible step to preserve human lives, rather than a surrender.
400 Mawozo, which calls itself a rebel group, also said it intends to take part in a peace demonstration this month. According to the group, this is meant to lay the groundwork for nationwide dialogue and peace negotiations. The gang’s statement said Haiti’s future cannot be built solely on confrontation and military operations.
The commission’s position
The National Commission for Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration confirmed that a person had contacted it on behalf of an armed group. At the same time, the commission stressed that it works together with the prime minister’s office, and that any dialogue with armed groups must take place in accordance with the government’s roadmap.
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A representative of 400 Mawozo, who spoke anonymously, told AP that the group was ready to join peace negotiations. Asked whether it was prepared to lay down its weapons, he replied that disarmament is a process. In response to a question about what the group seeks, the representative named peace and an end to what the gang considers international intervention.
Operations against gangs
The 400 Mawozo statement came amid operations by Haitian police and foreign forces against gangs. Haiti’s Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé reported the death of a gang leader without naming him. The Haitian National Police clarified that, during a joint operation, the leader of the Boston gang, known as Mathias, was among those killed; he operated in the gang-controlled Cité Soleil slum in Port-au-Prince.
The UN and human rights organizations have accused 400 Mawozo of rape, murder and kidnappings, but the group denies this. The gang also called on the relevant military forces to suspend operations in certain areas until dialogue on peace and stability actually begins.
