Photo credit: AP News
Laurent Saint-Cyr, a wealthy businessman, on Thursday became the head of Haiti’s transitional presidential council.
AP reports that the council is tasked with restoring order in the beleaguered country. Meanwhile, a top gang leader has vowed to overthrow the government.
Saint-Cyr’s appointment at the council’s heavily guarded office in the capital marked the first time that members of Haiti’s private sector would serve in both the rotating presidency and the post of prime minister, two positions that share the country’s executive roles.
While Saint-Cyr began his career at a local insurance company, Alix Didier Fils-Aime, Haiti’s current prime minister, was once the head of an internet company.
As he was sworn in, Saint-Cyr said, “Our country is going through one of the greatest crises in all its history. It’s not the time for beautiful speeches. It’s time to act.”
Before then, a powerful gang federation that had long denounced Haiti’s oligarchs threatened to overthrow the government. Gunshots were then heard in parts of the capital, Port-au-Prince. In a video posted on social media, Jimmy Cherizier a.k.a. “Berbecue” warns residents to give his armed group free passage through neighborhoods to reach the council’s office.
He says, “People of Haiti, take care of yourselves and help us … in the battle to free the country.” In the video, he is wearing a bulletproof vest with an automatic rifle slung around his shoulder.
A UN-backed mission led by Kenyan police said that officers foiled potential attacks by around-the-clock patrols and by boosting the number of armed forces in certain neighborhoods and around critical infrastructure.
Saint-Cyr said security was a priority while calling on the armed forces to intensify their operations. He also called on international partners to send more soldiers, offer more training to help boost a mission lacking resources and personnel.
He said, “We must restore state authority. The challenges we face are certainly linked to insecurity, but they are the result of our lack of courage, a lack of vision and our irresponsibility.”
He asked for the reasons the government could not offer the services Haitians deserved, including health and education.
Meanwhile, 58 organizations from countries that include the United States in a letter to Saint-Cyr accused the council of violating its legal obligations to Haiti’s women and girls.
“Collective rape is endemic,” they said, noting that sexual violence has risen as gangs persist in their rampage. The organization also accused Haiti’s government of being “completely absent” at shelters where rape survivors need basic services.
A growing number of people have grumbled about Haiti’s private sector leading the country. Some of Haiti’s wealthy elites and powerful politicians have long been accused of financing and arming dozens of gangs.
