Haiti Report, November 11, 2024
A compilation of news about Haiti from the past weekend.
Transitional Presidential Council chooses a new Prime Minister: Didier Fils-Aimé to replace Garry Conille
Haiti’s ruling presidential council has fired the country’s prime minister, Garry Conille, after barely six months and named businessman Didier Fils-Aimé to replace him in an act that some political leaders say is illegal. This marks the second time in a dozen years that Conille, 58, a career civil servant and development expert with the United Nations, has been forced from the top government job in Haiti. In 2012, he was forced to step down by then-President Michel Martelly after only four months in office. This time the pressure is coming from the nine-member Transitional Presidential Council currently being led by Leslie Voltaire, an urban planner and the representative of the party Fanmi Lavalas.
An executive order by the council was to be published in the country’s official gazette, Le Moniteur, on Monday, but leaked Sunday afternoon. It names Fils-Aimé, a Port-au-Prince entrepreneur, as his replacement. Eight out the nine council members signed the order. Former Sen. Edgard Leblanc Fils, who recently headed the council, did not sign. Fils-Aimé, 52, who ran an unsuccessful 2015 campaign to join the Senate and is a former president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Haiti, was abroad when his name was being considered on Friday and Saturday. He quickly returned to Haiti on Sunday morning from an overseas trip and after landing in Port-au-Prince was picked up at the airport by a police and diplomatic service escort. His swearing-in could come as early as Monday morning, prompting a situation where an already politically unstable Haiti could find itself with not just nine presidents but two prime ministers if Conille opts not to relinquish power.
On Sunday, several sectors that had named people to the presidential council as part of a political accord worked out with the U.S. and the Caribbean community were working on issuing a statement criticizing the move, while also showing support for Conille and his government, two people involved in the process told the Miami Herald.
The latest crisis has been brewing for weeks, with members of the transitional council failing to heed calls by the Biden administration to end the political infighting. The tensions finally hit a peak Thursday and Friday after an attempt by the Organization of American States to broker talks between Conille and Voltaire went nowhere. The two men have been at odds for weeks now over two central issues: a reshuffling of the cabinet and the removal of three members of the presidential council named in a bank bribery scandal. The division has led to a stalemate in which some members of the council had refused to meet with Conille, who had been resisting the reshuffle because it turn over control of key government ministries, if not all, to the presidency and political parties.
The former United Nations official tapped to lead Haiti through a gang-fueled crisis has been fired by the country’s ruling council, following a political power struggle that unfolded amid a wave of kidnappings and killings. The official, Garry Conille, 58, a medical doctor who previously ran UNICEF’s Latin America regional office, was hired in late May to serve as interim prime minister of Haiti. He and the country’s ruling council are supposed to pave the way for elections next year to choose a new president.
Haiti’s transitional council named Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, the owner of a chain of dry cleaners and a former candidate for the Haitian Senate, as his replacement, according to an executive order published Sunday afternoon in the country’s official gazette, Le Moniteur. The former president of the Haiti’s Chamber of Commerce, he studied at Boston University and describes himself on LinkedIn as “an entrepreneur” and “engaged citizen.”
Mr. Conille, who speaks fluent English and was seen as someone removed from traditional party politics because he hadn’t lived in Haiti for more than a decade, was considered a favorite of the international community, who are key financial donors and have considerable weight in Haitian affairs. The decision to oust him was likened by some analysts as a politically-motivated coup, and they questioned whether the presidential council had the legal authority to do it. The authority to fire a prime minister belongs to the Parliament, but because there have been no elections, Haiti currently does not have one. But Mr. Conille’s relationship with a transitional presidential council, a nine-member board ruling Haiti until presidential elections could be held, was contentious from the start. In a country known for party factions and political infighting, Mr. Conille rankled the council by doing things like traveling to Washington without letting the council know in advance.
As prime minister, Mr. Conille is the head of government, and the seven voting members of the council rotate the title of “president,” — head of state.
But Mr. Conille traveled to the United Nations with full diplomatic security, while a council member who held the title of “president” was initially refused official security from the U.S. government, and another council member was shut out of an important bilateral meeting. The council had recently asked Mr. Conille to reshuffle his cabinet, and he refused, according to a spokesman for one presidential council member. The last straw appeared to be Mr. Conille’s efforts to have three council members who are accused of corruption removed from office.
In an open letter to the nation, Dr Garry Conille argued that "this resolution, taken outside any legal and constitutional framework, raises serious concerns about its legitimacy and its repercussions on the future of the country."
“I would like to begin by stressing that this decision directly contravenes both the Constitution and the texts that govern the transition period. Article 158 of our Constitution stipulates that the Prime Minister is responsible to Parliament, and that only a resignation or a motion of censure by Parliament can result in the termination of his functions. Under no circumstances can the Presidential Council, even in its transitional functions, replace Parliament or exercise a power that has not been assigned to it. Furthermore, although the Presidential Council has the prerogative to appoint the Prime Minister, no legal text gives it the power to dismiss him. The Agreement of April 3 and the Decree of May 27, 2024, which organize the transition, clearly define the governance procedures, but they do not in any way allow the Council to unilaterally terminate the functions of the Prime Minister. Article 37 of the decree, which governs the organization and operation of the Presidential Transitional Council, states: "in the event of a governance deficit documented and presented by the Government Action Control Body (OCAG), the Presidential Transitional Council terminates the functions of the Prime Minister by submitting his resignation." Consequently, the decision of the CPT, taken outside this framework, constitutes an abuse of power and a forfeiture that undermines the fundamental principles of our democracy," Conille maintains, calling on the CPT to set up the Government Action Control Body.
Further, PM Conille referred to the many manifestations of the current crisis and called for respect for the agreement of April 3, 2024. “I am firmly convinced that the only way out of the current crisis is to respect the Agreement of April 3, 2024, which allowed the establishment of this transitional government, and which is based on the principles of dialogue, consultation and shared responsibility. Any attempt at institutional destabilization at this precise moment is nothing other than a maneuver that further weakens our country and seriously compromises our chances of overcoming this crisis. As Prime Minister, but above all as a Haitian citizen, I choose, out of patriotism, not to respond to this situation with division, but rather with responsibility. I remain attentive to the political and social sectors which, according to the agreement of April 3, hold the legitimacy to guide the transition. With them, I am ready to continue this fight for the stability of our country, to defend legality and to challenge any illegal action motivated by narrow political interests that only add to the suffering of our people," assured Conille, adding that he remains determined to continue working constructively for the peace and stability of Haiti.
In addition to this statement, the Prime Minister also wrote to the Director of the National Press asking him not to publish the CPT resolution. "Considering Article 150 of the Constitution granting the President of the Republic only those granted to him by the Constitution and the laws; Considering Article 2 of the Decree of April 10, 2024, creating the Presidential Transitional Council and Articles 151 and 37 of the Decree of May 23, 2024 on the Organization of the Presidential Transitional Council; Considering the principle of the legality of administrative acts, an essential principle of the functioning of the rule of law; Considering that the resolution of the Presidential Transitional Council, taken in defiance of the texts referred to, is clearly tainted with illegality; Considering that the publication of official acts in the official journal, the Moniteur, is carried out under the responsibility of the Government; "Why, I, Garry Conille, Prime Minister, urge you not to publish the resolution taken by the Presidential Transitional Council to terminate the functions of the Prime Minister," Conille urged Ronald Saint Jean.
https://lenouvelliste.com/article/251364/garry-conille-lache-par-le-cpt-saccroche-a-la-constitution
The dismissal of Prime Minister Garry Conille is a new development in the conflict between him and CPT President Leslie Voltaire over the cabinet reshuffle. The CPT, sources had indicated, wanted senior positions and to get rid of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dominique Dupuy and Me Carlos Hercule, Minister of Justice. On the resolution dismissing PM Conille, finally made public, Me André Michel, of the Agreement of December 21, had indicated that "The founding texts of the transition (the Jamaica Consensus of March 11, 2024, the agreement of April 3, 2024, the decree of April 12, 2024, the decree of May 23, 2024) do not give the CPT the power to dismiss the Prime Minister. Of course, he continued, exceptionally, article 37 of the decree of May 23, 2024 stipulates that in the event of serious presumptions of corruption and governance deficit, duly noted by the Government Action Control Body (OCAG), the CPT terminates the mission of the Prime Minister by the latter's presentation of the government's resignation. This provision also exists in the agreement of April 3, 2024. Today, noted Me André Michel, the Government Action Control Body (OCAG) has not even been created yet. "There is," he maintained, "no possibility for the CPT to dismiss the Prime Minister.
This Sunday, Pierre Espérance, speaking on Panel Magik, the morning show on radio Magik9 (100.9 Fm) indicated: "If the CPT manages to publish the impeachment resolution in the newspaper Le Moniteur, I would advise Prime Minister Garry Conille to throw in the towel so as not to engage the public force in this political conflict." "Even if this decision by the CPT went against the agreement serving as a legal framework for the transition, the person who holds the power of appointment also has the power of revocation," he added.
Gangs announce end of Viv Ansanm truce and resumption of fighting
Reports circulated on social media, including from the author/reporter Michael Deibert, that Jimmy “Barbecue” Cherizier declared an end to the truce between armed groups know as the Viv Ansanm Coalition:
Statements from both Jimmy "Barbecue" Chérizier, spokesman for the Viv Ansanm coalition of armed groups, & "General Jeff," who leads the Taliban gang in Canaan, declare tomorrow, 11 November, the "truce," such as it was, is over & violence will be the order of the today. https://x.com/michaelcdeibert/status/1855777014751359243
Many are predicting a surge in gang violence starting today, Monday, November 11. As of early this morning, shooting and burning tires have been reported in the lower parts of the city near Carrefour Drouillard (entrance to Cite Soleil), on the airport road, and also in the neighborhood of Vivy Mitchell.
US Embassy issues security alert in light of potential unrest; US and Canadian Embassies closed today
The US Embassy in Haiti issued a security alert on Sunday, November 10th, warning of possible protest activities this week. Due to the federal holiday in the US, the Embassy is closed on Monday, November 11th. https://ht.usembassy.gov/security-alert-u-s-embassy-port-au-prince-haiti-november-11-2024/
The Canadian Embassy also announced it will be closed to visitors today, Monday, November 11, via the X social network: https://x.com/AmbCanHaiti/status/1855937682649587836
‘It’s indescribable’: hospital on the frontline of devastating gang war
It was mid-morning in central Port-au-Prince and already two shooting victims had been rushed into the hospital past a mural instructing visitors to leave machetes and rifles outside. The two men – a 60-year-old accountant and a 29-year-old electrician – sat in the trauma centre’s “shock room” being patched up as the city around them fell apart. “We had one yesterday – it was an 81-year-old man who was going about his business and … then his life changes,” said James Gana, a Nigerian doctor who runs the unit for the French NGO Doctors Without Borders (MSF).
Minutes later sirens blared and a third casualty was wheeled in after also taking a bullet – the latest victim of a year of mayhem in Haiti, which the UN says has claimed several thousand lives.The arrival of a Kenyan-led international policing mission in June prompted a brief lull in the fighting between security forces, self-defence vigilante groups and a coalition of politically connected gangs called Viv Ansanm (Living Together) who appear determined to seize almost complete control of Haiti’s capital for a mix of criminal and political reasons. But in recent weeks – seemingly after gang leaders realised the 400-member security mission was too weak to challenge them – the bloodshed has again accelerated, prompting calls for a larger peacekeeping operation.
“What we have today, it will not work,” said Pierre Espérance, one of Haiti’s leading human rights advocates as he sat in his group’s headquarters in Port-au-Prince.
Espérance admitted it was painful to call for yet another foreign deployment in a country that has suffered a succession of humiliating and ill-conceived interventions since a 19-year occupation by the US Marines in 1915. The last such intervention – the 13-year UN stabilisation mission Minustah, which ended in 2017 – was blamed for human rights violations, sexual abuse and causing a cholera outbreak that killed thousands and continues to haunt the country. “But at the same time, Haitian people are exhausted. They are tired. There is no life in Haiti,” Espérance said as gang combatants continued their latest offensive against two strategically located neighbourhoods just a few miles from where he sat.
Gana, a 31-year-old primary healthcare physician, has had a front-row seat for the recent surge in violence at MSF’s Turgeau emergency centre, which is close to Port-au-Prince’s biggest public park, the Champs de Mars, now one of the frontlines of the gang insurrection. The criminal uprising has turned the area just west of that plaza – which is also home to the presidential palace – into a bullet-riddled ghost town from which most residents have fled. Stray dogs and families of chickens roam the empty, litter-strewn streets. Gunfire can be heard day and night.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/nov/09/haiti-gang-kenyan-police-force-bloodshed