- The establishment of a council tasked with selecting a temporary replacement for outgoing Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry has been hampered by serious security concerns.
- On Sunday, one member of the nine-member council resigned after receiving death threats, leaving organizers scrambling to find her replacement.
- Haiti has been experiencing large-scale sociopolitical unrest since the assassination of President Jouvenel Moïse in 2021, with crime and gang violence rampant under Henry’s government, which has long failed to deliver on its promise to hold new elections. There is.
New disruptions to the interim presidential council charged with selecting Haiti’s new leader, leading to a flurry of meetings with Caribbean leaders and officials from the United States, Canada and France, officials said Monday. did.
A local official who was not authorized to speak to the media told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity that the council has not yet been sworn in, especially given concerns for the safety of its members. The official is based in Guyana, which is the headquarters of the regional trading bloc known as CARICOM, which is helping establish the transitional council.
The delay in establishing the council comes as gangs continue to carry out attacks throughout the Haitian capital. Since February 29, armed groups have set fire to police stations, opened fire on the main international airport, which remains closed, and stormed the country’s two largest prisons, freeing more than 4,000 prisoners.
Biden is desperate to help Haiti.But everything he does is wrong
The attack left scores of people dead and more than 33,000 people evacuated from the capital, Port-au-Prince.
On Sunday, the newest person elected to head EDE/RED, one of several Haitian political parties and groups with seats on the nine-member council, resigned and the council elected to replace her. I had to hurry. UNESCO Ambassador Dominique Dupuis said in a video statement that her resignation was also due to her being the target of political attacks and death threats.
The Montana Compact, a group of civil society leaders who are also members of the city council, said in a statement posted on Stated.
“Society must remain vigilant against any political maneuvers based on fear and terrorism,” he said. “It’s time to stop the violence.”
Mr. Dupuis was immediately removed and the council returned to nine full members, seven of whom have voting rights but have not yet taken office.
Young people flee after hearing gunshots at a public school that serves as a haven for people displaced by gang violence in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Friday, March 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Oderin Joseph)
It was not immediately clear when the council would be formally announced, with another meeting scheduled between its members and CARICOM officials on Monday.
Officials hope rampant gang violence will subside once the council elects Haiti’s new leadership and appoints a council of ministers. Prime Minister Ariel Henry said he intended to resign once the council was established.
Gang violence has subsided somewhat in recent days, but on Sunday gunmen torched a large outdoor garage in downtown Port-au-Prince.
“A lot of people lost everything,” attorney Joseph James said. “We couldn’t save anything.”
On Monday morning, mechanic Elidor Samuel scoured the scorched earth, trying to find any belongings he could salvage.
“All my tools were burnt,” he said. “What are you going to do now?
“Gangs are using maximum pressure strategies consisting of attacks punctuated by lulls rather than all-out war,” Romain Le Coeur of the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime wrote in an analysis posted Monday. It seems like they are pursuing this.”
He said that research by a Swiss-based civil society group showed that this strategy was not decided solely by gang leaders, but was likely “a result of the relationships that still link them to their political bosses.” “And they may be drawing an unconditional, fluid line.” renounce the use of violence for political purposes; ”
Le Coeur joins others who are concerned about the slow pace of finding a new leader for Haiti.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“The inability to make the Presidential Transitional Council function is a testament to the continuing conflict in Haiti’s political world, while the power of firearms and political crime brokers is growing stronger with each passing day,” he said. said.
