The (CPT) dismissed this Sunday the Prime Minister, Garry Conille, who had held office since last May, when he was appointed by the same entity that is now removing him to stabilize a country that continues to . His replacement will be the businessman and former Senate candidate, Alix Didier Fils-Aime, amid accusations of corruption, disputes over the legality of the process and Conille’s questioning of the legitimacy of the decision that, in his opinion, contradicts the Constitution. The armed gangs that sow instability in the country have not been slow to react. “The battle will begin again,” predicted guerrilla leader Jimmy Chérizier, alias Barbecue.
The move is the latest blow to Haiti’s political stability. Armed gangs have gained control of most of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and nearby regions, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes and deepening food insecurity for those who remain. The promised international aid to stabilize the country and support the population continues to lag behind.
On the other hand, in the midst of the chaos, this Monday, a Spirit Airlines plane was hit by gunfire when it was trying to land at the Port-au-Prince airport, according to the newspaper. The Miami Herald. After the incident, about which little is known at the moment, the aircraft was diverted to the Dominican Republic, a country with which Haiti shares the island of Hispaniola. According to initial information, a bullet grazed one of the crew members.
The decision to remove Conille, considered by some sectors to be illegal, was announced on Sunday through an executive order leaked before its official publication. Eight of the nine CPT members signed the resolution; former senator Edgard Leblanc Fils, who previously led the council, refused to sign.
Conille, who in recent weeks, before him in his country, had embarked on trips abroad in search of assistance, responded to the announcement with a letter to Ronald Saint-Jean, director of the national press, in which he requested that the resolution was not published in the official journal The Monitor. The former prime minister argued that the Haitian Constitution grants the power to dismiss a prime minister exclusively to Parliament and not to the Presidential Council. In his letter, Conille described the CPT’s measure as an abuse of power and stated that the Government has the responsibility of managing the publication of official acts.
The situation in Haiti is complex. Without a Parliament and without an elected president, the country is going through a constitutional crisis that has raised doubts about the legitimacy of the CPT’s decisions. Conille, who had taken office in May after a selection process among several candidates, had difficulty collaborating with council members, who represent political parties preparing for elections.
Political instability has been worsened by a rising wave of gang violence that has displaced thousands of Haitians and created food insecurity. More and more neighborhoods are controlled by gangs, and more people are going hungry despite the presence of the Multinational Security Support Mission, led by Kenya and endorsed by the UN.
Although the Organization of American States tried to mediate between Conille and Leslie Voltaire, current leader of the CPT, the talks did not prosper. The disagreement between the two included issues such as the reorganization of the cabinet and the dismissal of three CPT members, accused in a bank bribery case. Everything indicates that Conille, who returned to Haiti in May to head the Government after a long career in the United Nations, resisted having his Cabinet portfolios covered by relatives or recommendations of the members of that body and the traditional political parties. In response to this situation, some political and social sectors have expressed their support for Conille and have rejected the CPT’s decision.
Barbecue: “The battle will begin again”
In a video posted Sunday on social media, the leader of the armed coalition known as Live Together (Live together), Barbecuesays that “the battle will begin again” and calls on the population not to take to the streets unless necessary. In his message, he states that the authorities do not look after the interests of the Haitian people, that “the length of observation (of the situation by) the gangs Live Together has come to an end” and that “the time has come (…) to take the destiny” of the country.
The announcement of the day of violence this Monday caused paralysis in various sectors of Port-au-Prince. Some schools closed their doors and traffic in the capital was considerably reduced. In addition, barricades were used to block some streets and gunshots were heard at several points. It is not clear whether these incidents were part of the plan announced by Live Together on their social networks or if they were isolated episodes.
The crisis of violence is such that the UN has reported that nearly 4,900 people died in Haiti between January and September 2024. The situation has also caused the displacement of some 700,000 people within Haitian territory, of which more than half are children. In Port-au-Prince alone, 12,000 people have left their homes in recent weeks, said Stéphanie Tremblay, deputy spokesperson for the UN secretary general.
Food insecurity also continues to rise. According to Tremblay, around 5.4 million Haitians face difficulties in accessing food, and, for the first time since 2022, pockets of famine were detected in areas where displaced people live. The UN stated that this food crisis is mainly due to violence, and called for more funding and finding lasting solutions.
The businessman Alix Didier Fils-Aime, who replaces Conille, was a candidate for the Senate representing the political party The truth. He is the son of a well-known Haitian activist, Alix Fils-Aime, who was imprisoned under the regime of dictator Jean-Claude. Baby Doc Duvalier. The decree appointing him the new prime minister is scheduled to be published this Monday in the country’s official newspaper, The Monitorthe day on which he will take office. The new Government would be formed on Tuesday.
