Haiti interim council seeks to oust PM amid power struggle
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The nine-member council has reached a consensus to remove Garry Conille, who was appointed in May to lead the nation, as it grapples with ongoing gang violence and political unrest.
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Haiti Prime Minister Garry Conille, speaks during a joint press conference with Kenya's President William Ruto at State House in Nairobi, Kenya, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. (AP)
Haiti's transitional council has decided to replace Prime Minister Garry Conille, according to an official bulletin seen by AFP on Sunday. The move comes amid a power struggle that threatens to deepen the country's ongoing crisis.
The decision, set for official release on Monday, November 11, aims to oust Conille after just five months in office and appoint businessman Alix Didier Fils-Aime in his place.
The nine-member council reached a consensus on November 8 to remove Conille, a former UN official and academic, who was appointed in May to lead the nation as it grapples with ongoing political unrest. Conille, 58, has sent a letter to the council requesting that the decision not be made public, a copy of which was obtained by AFP.
The Miami Herald had reported that both sides have been engaged in a political power struggle, as the council seeks to remove and replace the ministers of justice, finance, defense, and health, contrary to the prime minister's wishes.
Conille had submitted a request for the resignations of three council members accused of corruption earlier this week.
Given that the council is a newly established power that does not exist within Haiti's constitution and was not approved by parliament amid the absence of a sitting legislature, it is unclear whether it has the authority to dismiss the prime minister.
It is worth noting that Haiti has not had an official election for almost a decade, the last one being in 2016. As the country grapples with gang violence and political instability, former Prime Minister Ariel resigned back in April.
Gang violence engulfs Haiti
Since the beginning of October, gangs have been focusing their efforts on multiple districts in Port-au-Prince, with attacks persisting in Solino. Gangs attacked a school in L'Estere, which led to the death of a parent and injuries to several children.
According to a report from Human Rights Watch (HRW), Haitian armed gangs are also enlisting starving children to strengthen their ranks in preparation for a prolonged and violent clash with international security forces.
The rights organization stated that the armed groups, which dominate much of Haiti, are luring hundreds, if not thousands, of impoverished children to join their ranks with promises of food and shelter.
HRW reports that as many as 30% of Haitian gang members are now children who have been coerced into illegal activities, serving as armed soldiers, spies, or being exploited for sexual purposes.
Earlier in October, a gang assault on Pont-Sonde resulted in at least 109 fatalities and over 40 injuries. Meanwhile, powerful gangs control 80% of Port-au-Prince and the major roads in the country.
According to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, at least 3,661 people have been killed in Haiti since January, as reported at the end of September. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports that violence and the humanitarian crisis have displaced over 700,000 people, with half being children.
