Does viral video show Haitian gang eating human body parts? Truth behind the incident

Amid escalating gang violence in Haiti, a disturbing video has surfaced on social media, showing an alleged gang member engaging in cannibalism

Amid escalating gang violence in Haiti, a disturbing video has surfaced on social media, showing an alleged gang member engaging in cannibalism. “Disturbing footage of the Haitian cannibal gang eating body parts of one of their victims as he cooks in the fire,” an Instagram post reads. The same video has been shared across other social media platforms, including X.

FILE - Youths and members of the gang led by Jimmy Cherizier, alias Barbecue, a former police officer who heads a gang coalition hang out during a march to demand justice for slain Haitian President Jovenel Moise, in the La Saline neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, July 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix, File)(AP)

The video shows a man chewing on something that looks like a human finger. He then proceeds to tear flesh out of the leg of a person seen burning.

The truth behind the video

The video has not been independently verified by any news agency. However, according to Times Now, agencies on social media have revealed that the video is two years old and has nothing to do with the current unrest. Although the incident may be true, it is not related to the current situation in the Caribbean nation. One user shared the video with the caption, “It turns out that this video is from over 2 YEARS ago of a battle between the Gran Grif and Ti Mepri gangs in the Artibonite Valley. It has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with Jimmy "Barbecue" Cherizier or today's uprising. The man pictured did this gruesome act to terrorize his rivals.” The post added that the reports came from journalists who covered the Haiti situation for years.

The United States said that it has airlifted non-essential embassy staff from Haiti as gang violence worsened. Americans have reportedly boosted security at their mission in the capital, Port-au-Prince.

This comes after the airport, police stations and prisons were attacked by gangs this month. The aim is to get Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry removed. What began as a three-day state of emergency has now been extended by a month.

"Heightened gang violence in the neighbourhood near US embassy compounds and near the airport led to the State Department's decision to arrange for the departure of additional embassy personnel," the embassy posted on social media.