Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille has been dismissed by the country’s ruling council just under six months after assuming office.
In an executive order signed by eight of the council’s nine members, businessman and former Senate candidate Alix Didier Fils-Aime was appointed as Conille’s replacement. Conille, a former United Nations official, was selected to guide Haiti through a severe gang-driven security crisis and facilitate the country’s first presidential election since 2016.
In a letter obtained by Reuters, Conille condemned his dismissal as unlawful, raising “serious concerns” for Haiti’s stability. Haiti currently lacks a president and an operational parliament, the only authority legally allowed to dismiss a sitting prime minister according to the country’s constitution.
Sworn in on June 3, Conille argued that the council’s decision “outside any legal and constitutional framework” was illegitimate.
The Transitional Presidential Council (TPC), established in April after Conille’s predecessor, Ariel Henry, was ousted by gangs, is responsible for restoring order in the face of escalating violence. Following a summit trip to Guyana in February, Henry was blocked from returning to Haiti when gangs seized control of Port-au-Prince’s international airport.
Haiti’s violence has been devastating: over 3,600 people have lost their lives since January, with more than 500,000 displaced, according to the UN. Widespread hunger affects two million Haitians, with nearly half the population struggling to find enough food.
One of Haiti’s most powerful gang leaders, Jimmy Chérizier, known as “Barbecue,” has expressed willingness to negotiate peace if armed groups are included in talks about the country’s future leadership.
With the presidency vacant since the assassination of Jovenel Moïse in July 2021, gangs have taken advantage of the power vacuum to extend their control across the country, leading to widespread lawlessness.
To help address the crisis, hundreds of police officers from Kenya have recently been deployed to Haiti, with additional reinforcements expected soon.
