Haitian Gang Leader, Former Math and Physics Teacher, Killed in Seaside Slum

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — A powerful and feared gang leader in Haiti who was once a math and physics teacher was killed in a neighborhood within a sprawling seaside slum that he controlled for years, local media reported on Monday.

Iskar Andrice, also known as Iscar Andris, met his demise, raising concerns about the potential escalation of gang violence in the region. Andrice held dominion over the Belekou community, situated within the Cite Soleil slum, where he met his untimely end, according to former mayor Esaïe Beauchard, who spoke to Radio Galaxie FM.

Beauchard expressed regret over Andrice’s involvement in gang activities, highlighting his exceptional intelligence, which he felt was wasted. The exact date of Andrice’s death remains unknown.

When contacted by The Associated Press, Jean-Frédérique Islain, the current mayor of Cite Soleil, declined to comment on the matter.

Andrice led a notorious gang involved in heinous crimes such as murder, robbery, extortion, rape, and the hijacking of goods and trucks, as revealed by a recent U.N. report. He later formed an alliance with renowned gang leader Jimmy Chérizier, famously known as Barbecue, establishing the “G9 Family and Allies,” the most influential and powerful gang group in Haiti.

Media interviews granted by Chérizier required Andrice’s approval, indicating his significant influence within the gang hierarchy.

In 2015, Andrice, like other gang leaders, established the Siloé Foundation, a social organization aimed at gaining support from the community he controlled and projecting a positive image of himself.

Andrice and his gang were implicated in numerous deadly raids on Haitian neighborhoods, specifically targeting innocent civilians, according to a report by the nonprofit National Human Rights Defense Network in Haiti.

Furthermore, they were accused of orchestrating a crippling attack on a major fuel terminal in the capital city of Port-au-Prince last year. The incident brought the country to a standstill, prompting Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry to urgently request the deployment of a foreign armed force, marking his first such appeal.

Associated Press reporter Dánica Coto in San Juan, Puerto Rico, contributed to this report.