Faro Markenson, an alleged gang leader known as “Commander Tirad,” was lynched by an angry mob after being handed over to Haitian authorities. Markenson, described by Dominican officials as a dangerous figure linked to violent crime, was arrested in Santiago and transferred to Haitian law enforcement at the border in Dajabón.
Just moments after the handover, a crowd, furious over his notorious crimes, overpowered the police officers and seized Markenson. The mob violently beat him with sticks before setting him on fire, as reported by local news outlets. The murder unfolded in front of shocked onlookers, underscoring the deep frustration many in the region feel towards the gang violence that has plagued Haiti and its neighbors.
Markenson was allegedly the leader of the Bwa Kale Gang, a group notorious for terrorizing the region with brutal killings. Prior to his arrest, he had been planning an escape to the Dominican Republic, hoping to evade capture after the Haitian public security forces launched an operation to reclaim the commune of Petite-Rivière-de-l’Artibonite on December 7, 2024. In a desperate attempt to evade detection, he changed his hairstyle, but was quickly identified and captured.
The lynching of Markenson comes amid increasing violence in Haiti, where criminal gangs control large parts of the capital and rural areas. On December 26, a brutal attack by armed gangs at the General Hospital in Port-au-Prince resulted in at least three deaths, including a police officer and two journalists, as gangs targeted police, medical staff, and journalists during a briefing about the reopening of the country’s largest public hospital.
In response to the escalating violence, Kenya has sent police officers to Haiti as part of a multinational mission to combat the gangs. Despite challenges, including the closure of Haiti’s main airport due to violence, Kenya is leading an international anti-gang effort, with more officers set to deploy in the coming months. Currently, approximately 430 personnel from Kenya are on the ground as part of a mission that aims to restore stability to the troubled nation.
