The leader of one of Haiti’s most dreaded gang, Wilson Joseph, has written to the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, calling for dialogue with international forces to resolve lingering crisis in the country.

Crisis rocking Haiti has seen more than 5,700 people killed or injured between January and mid-September this year, while nearly 1.5 million were forced to flee their homes.

According to the United Nations, Mr Joseph, nicknamed Lanmò Sanjou, who leads the 400 Mawozo gang notorious for carrying out kidnappings for ransom, presented himself as an interlocutor ready to negotiate for peace.

“The receipt of such a letter does not constitute an endorsement of its contents, nor an acknowledgment of its author, nor a position taken by the United Nations,” Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for the Secretary-General, said in a statement to the press on Monday.

Citing Mr Joseph’s letter, the UN said the Haiti gang leader “requested that a UN delegation be sent to engage in discussions with his group, as the gang leader claimed – according to reports – to have “officially raised the white flag” as he seeks a peaceful solution to the Haitian crisis.”

It added, “The gang leader fears that the Salvadoran intervention will provoke an increase in reprisals against civilians, whilst noting that the four missing Salvadorans are now dead.”

Mr Joseph’s request for dialogue comes after four Salvadoran soldiers, serving with the force in Haiti, disappeared during an attack by armed groups on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince on October 18, while El Salvador authorities sent troops to rescue them. 

Meanwhile, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had offered a $1 million reward for information leading to Mr Joseph’s arrest.