The Haitian Revolution 2.0 Has Begun
"Bwa Kale" literally means "peeled wood" in Haitian Creole. It's also a metaphor for an act of swift justice.
The "Bwa Kale" movement is a popular Haitian movement which began on April 24th 2023 in Port-au-Prince, that opposes the violence and crime that plagues the country. This movement was born from the will of the population to defend themselves against gangs and criminals who terrorize the streets. In essence they are dynamically formed self defense brigades, led by the Haitian National Police. They have put some Haitian gangs on the run for the first time in years
Bwa kale 2023 was sparked by the recent massacre of suspected bandits by residents of Canapé-Vert in front of the National Police Station. 14 gang members were burned and dismembered. This event has apparently emboldened residents around the country to turn the tables against gangs, with help from officers of the National Police of Haiti (PNH).
April 24th 2023
A spontaneous event on April 24 appears to have been the catalyst for the movement. Police in the Canape Vert area of Port-au-Prince intercepted 13 or 14 members of a gang travelling on a minibus to join with an allied gang in the Dubussy district
#Haiti Sang ô sang noir de mes frères, vous êtes le sueur où baigne mon angoisse, vous êtes la souffrance qui enroue ma voix. Le sang parlera, le sang parle toujours. Qui verse le sang de l'homme, par l'homme aura son sang versé.
— Nancy Roc (@TheNancyRoc) April 28, 2023
Léopold Sédar Senghor pic.twitter.com/0FsMfKWmSi
"This party didn't have any long guns with them," said Louis-Henri Mars, director of the Haitian peacebuilding nonprofit Lakou Lape. "They only had pistols in their rucksacks, and when they were stopped, the police disarmed them."
A crowd quickly gathered at the scene.
"The police felt the pressure, or they felt threatened by the crowd, and they released those guys to die basically," said Mars. "And the crowd stoned them and burned them to death, and this was the start of it."
Cell videos from the scene show Haitian police holding a group of young men on the ground while civilians pelt them with rocks. Tires are piled over them. Other videos show the men on fire and display their charred remains.
The reaction of the population of Saint-Louis du Nord and Port-de-Paix is a sign that the “Bwa Kale” movement is gaining momentum throughout the country. The people of Haiti are determined to put an end to violence and crime, and they are ready to do anything to protect their community.
Haitians arming themselves with machetes to fight against and go after the gang members and their leaders. The #BwaKale movement we seeing is revolution 2.0. The gang members get put down first, then the bourgeois who help to finance chaos in the country
— RonRulah 🇭🇹 (@RonRulah) May 4, 2023
pic.twitter.com/DebyGi3vhk
A powerful wave of vigilantism has brought both optimism and fear, leaving governments on the sidelines
Port-au-Prince is as violent as it has ever been, but for the past 2 weeks now the fear has flowed in a different action. The gangs and the Haitian Elite are now the ones living in fear.
The fighting has been ongoing for over 3 weeks and things do not seem to be getting better. 600 people have been reported killed for the month of April.
Sous Matla
— Velina (@VelinaEC) May 4, 2023
Anmweyyy Anmweyyy Anmweyyy pic.twitter.com/VJZWA8vyny
The gangs are not backing down and in fact they are taking mass hostages and threatening to Massacre a large portion of the population
Pray for Haiti, Haiti need help, gang ap chèche moun kite nan mouvman bwa kale pou egzekite yo @SpeakerPelosi @ValNuma @UN @StateDept @WhiteHouse pic.twitter.com/oQZQ1g0ffq
— Jerry Jean louis (@JerryJe76562333) May 3, 2023
This is Izo 5 seconds, the leader of the village gang. Who knows that he will kill many people if the people continue with the BWA KALE operation. He says that he has already killed a lot pic.twitter.com/nY3pq67cdF
— MEDYA S (@medyas100) May 4, 2023
