John AdoyiIn a troubling development, Haiti’s Transitional Presidential Council has removed Interim Prime Minister, Garry Conille, less than six months after his appointment. The council, which was established to address Haiti’s deteriorating security and lead the nation toward stability, announced in a letter seen by the Associated Press that businessman and former candidate for the job, Alix Didier Fils-Aime, would replace Conille. An executive order signed by eight of the council’s nine members formalised the decision.
The abrupt dismissal signals deepening discord within the council, sparking concerns that this instability will further erode public confidence in the council’s ability to restore peace.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelConille, a former United Nations official, was initially appointed to address the escalating gang violence that has plagued Haiti, with hopes he would help set the stage for the country’s first presidential elections since 2016. However, tensions arose between Conille and council leader Leslie Voltaire over a cabinet reshuffle and the potential removal of three council members implicated in a bribery scandal.
According to a report by The Miami Herald, the accused council members allegedly demanded $750,000 in bribes from a government bank director to retain his position, an allegation that has intensified public skepticism and diminished trust in the transitional government.
The Transitional Presidential Council was set up in April 2024 after then-Prime Minister, Ariel Henry, was exiled following a gang takeover of key areas in the capital, Port-au-Prince. Henry, who had governed since his 2021 appointment by former President Jovenel Moïse, was forced out when gang members seized the capital’s international airport, preventing his return as his plane attempted to land.
Haiti’s political situation has steadily worsened since the assassination of Moïse in 2021, with gangs exploiting the power vacuum to seize control of multiple regions. They have broken into prisons to free fellow gang members, burned police stations, and forced more than 500,000 people to flee their homes. According to the United Nations, nearly 4,000 people have been killed in Haiti this year, and two million Haitians now face emergency levels of hunger, with nearly half the population struggling to access sufficient food.
Kenya has deployed a special police force to Haiti to support local authorities in restoring order, yet the gangs remain powerful and defiant, insisting they will not cease their activities until they are included in negotiations on Haiti’s political future. Despite the council’s mandate to restore democratic governance, the recent turmoil raises questions about its capacity to lead the country toward stability and conduct long-delayed elections.
