Haiti’s Power Transition Predicted to Be Worse Gang Violence – Global Issues
UNITED NATIONS, Nov 12 (IPS) – Gang violence has devastated Haiti, causing thousands of deaths, displacement, and violations of international humanitarian law. It is expected that the unrest will increase following the removal of Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille from office on November 11.
On November 10, the Haitian government announced plans to replace incumbent prime minister Conille, with businessman and former gangster Alix Didier Fils-Aimé. Conille responded by describing his removal as “illegal”, saying Haiti’s revolutionary council has the power to appoint a prime minister, rather than dismiss one. Conille informed reporters that “this decision, taken without any legal and constitutional framework, raises serious concerns about its legality.”
Since Conille’s term began, his efforts to end gang violence, improve the country’s economy, and end hunger have failed. According to the World Food Program (WFP), Haiti is still one of the poorest countries in the world, with almost half of the country facing food shortages. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that approximately 5.5 million people need humanitarian assistance to survive. Basic services such as access to food, clean drinking water, health care, education, shelter, and psychological support are severely limited.
Shortly after assuming office on June 3 of this year, Conille launched the Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission in Haiti, a military delegation supported by Kenya. However, following the deployment of 400 Kenyan officials to Haiti, gang violence throughout the country increased and spread to high-risk areas, such as the Artibonite River region.
In a speech on October 22 to the Security Council of the United Nations (UN), María Isabel Salvador, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and head of the UN Coordination Office in Haiti, noted that the MSS campaign is not very well funded, leading to 700,000 Haitians. they were expelled from the inside.
“The security situation is still very fragile, as severe violence has broken out again. The situation in Haiti is tragically bad,” said Salvador. He added that the violence was once found in the Port-Au-Prince region but has escalated and spread throughout the country. Murder, kidnapping and sexual violence of an “unprecedented brutality” remain commonplace.
Georges Fauriol, a Haitian expert and senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC, argued that Conille’s efforts to defuse tensions and demobilize gangs have fueled gang violence.
“So it’s almost the middle of November and Kenyans are nowhere near what was promised at the beginning of the summer and it seems that the gangs in some cases have turned to cartel-like ambitions, with the continuation of weapons and worrying funding,” Fauriol said.
The recent power transition is predicted to further destabilize Haiti’s political and social landscape. Due to increasing political instability, humanitarian organizations fear that armed groups will exploit Haiti’s vulnerable situation. Currently, Haiti’s government does not have a Parliament and has not held democratic elections for years, creating a large political vacuum.
As Fils-Aimé was sworn into office on the morning of November 11, gangs headed for Haiti’s international airport in Port-Au-Prince. The plane was diverted to the Dominican Republic. However, in other parts of Haiti, battles between gangs and police engulfed the capital, with some gangs burning homes.
According to the US Embassy, the attack was an attempt “led by gangsters to block movement to and from Port-au-Prince which could involve armed violence, and disruption of roads, ports and airports”. As Haiti faces a lack of proper governance and political structure, gang violence will continue to escalate.
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