A large part of the capital Port-au-Prince is controlled by the Viv Ansanm coalition of gangs, which has demanded, among other things, immunity from prosecution for its members.
Haiti, which has suffered from a wave of violence and political turmoil triggered by armed gangs, is getting a new leader on Tuesday, when the country’s new governing council elects a transitional president for the country. The council started its work last week.
The task of the transitional administration is not expected to be easy, as the gangs that control most of the country’s capital, Port-au-Prince, have claimed political power for themselves. The gangs threaten to continue the violence if the demands are not met.
The gang violence that has plagued Haiti for a long time escalated even more at the end of February, when the prime minister elected without elections Ariel Henry traveled to Kenya to boost a UN-sanctioned police operation that would have brought international security forces to Haiti. A few days later, Henry resigned under pressure from the United States.
The council electing the new president consists of seven voting members and two observer members. In addition to politicians, the council includes a businessman and a pastor, but gang leaders were not allowed to participate in the administration.
The Council was formed under the leadership of Caricom, an organization of Caribbean countries. The interim administration is supposed to lead Haiti until presidential elections are held in the country. The elections are planned to be held at the beginning of 2026.
Haiti has been without a president for the past few years since the previous incumbent Jovenel Moise was murdered in 2021.
“All at the same table”
A large part of Port-au-Prince is controlled by the Viv Ansanm coalition formed by loosely cooperating gangs, which has demanded from the new government, among other things, immunity from prosecution for its members.
This is what the leader of the Kraze Baryé gang told CNN’s reporter Vitel’homme Innocent published on Monday in the interview.
– When we lay down our weapons, we must be able to trust that the state has a plan for the future. Can I tell someone to put down their weapon if they only have rocks to feed them? Of course not, Innocent said.
The lead character of Viv Ansanm Jimmy “Barbeque” Cherizieri gangs must be brought to the negotiating table.
– Either we are all at the same table or the table will be destroyed with all of us, the gang leader has said.
According to a UN estimate, at the beginning of the year, an average of one person per hour died from gang violence in Haiti.
Source: Reuters