Haiti Appoints New Prime Minister After Gangs Assert Control

U.N. development specialist Garry Conille has been appointed as Haiti’s new prime minister, nearly a month after a coalition within a fractured transitional council initially selected another candidate for the position. The appointment comes at a time when the capital, Port-au-Prince, remains under siege by violent gangs, which have been terrorizing neighborhoods, attacking police stations, and demolishing prisons.

Council member Louis Gérald Gilles announced that six out of seven council members with voting power chose Conille on May 28. One member, Laurent St. Cyr, was not in Haiti and did not vote. Conille, who is UNICEF’s regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean, previously served as Haiti’s prime minister from October 2011 to May 2012 under then-President Michel Martelly. He succeeds Michel Patrick Boisvert, who was named interim prime minister after Ariel Henry resigned in late April.

The decision to appoint Conille comes after a coalition of powerful gangs launched coordinated attacks on Feb. 29, seizing control of police stations, targeting Haiti’s main international airport, and storming the country’s two largest prisons, releasing over 4,000 inmates. These attacks effectively locked Henry out of the country, as the airport in Port-au-Prince remained closed for nearly three months.

Jimmy “Barbecue” Cherizier, the leader of the notorious G9 Family and Allies gang alliance, has emerged as a central figure in Haiti’s complex landscape, Al Jazeera reported.

Cherizier, a former police officer, coMMAnds significant iNFLuence within Haiti’s criminal underworld. His role in orchestrating blockades and exerting control over vital resources underscores the challenges facing the nation.

Haiti is experiencing a record iNFLation rate of 29 percent, with gangs controlling at least 80 percent of Port-au-Prince, displacing more than 360,000 people and paralyzing the transportation of essential goods. The new prime minister will have to address these challenges while also managing the political landscape.

Photo via the U.N., https://unsdg.un.org/latest/announcements/secretary-general-appoints-garry-conille-haiti-un-resident-coordinator-jamaica