Haiti

Haiti's Transitional Council Names New Cabinet

Published JUN 12 2024

Story

Above: Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille participates in a news conference, at the National Press Club on February 8, 2012 in Washington, DC. Image credit: Mark Wilson/Staff/Getty Images News via Getty Images

The Facts

Haiti's transitional government council has named an entirely new cabinet, elevating Garry Conille from his role as interim prime minister two weeks after his appointment.
BBC News
The now-former top official with UNICEF will also act as interior minister, controlling most of the country's security forces and intelligence operations at a time when Haiti is trying to restore order.
Reuters
Four of the 14 newly-appointed cabinet ministers are women, a figure that is close but still under the constitutionally required 30% quota for female representation in public positions.
The Haitian Times
The announcement on Tuesday comes days after Kenya's William Ruto said that a multinational police force is expected to be deployed to Haiti in the coming weeks to help suppress violence from gangs that control about 80% of Port-au-Prince.
Al Jazeera
According to the latest report from the International Organization for Migration, more than 578K people were internally displaced in Haiti due to the deteriorating security situation as of early June — nearly 60% up from March.
HaitiLibre.com
The transitional council, whose non-renewable mandate will expire in February 2026, has yet to appoint a provisional electoral commission before general elections can take place.
ap

Sources Split

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The Spin

Pro-establishment narrative

Haiti needs US support on the ground because the government is outmanned and outgunned by violent criminal gangs, making a Haiti-led recovery a pipe dream. Famine, death, and a refugee crisis are looming if the hemisphere's superpower doesn't restore order and back the transitional government — buying time for UN security forces.

wapo

Establishment-critical narrative

The world community must support democracy, let Haiti chart its own path, and allow the council to govern. When the outside world, particularly the US, intervenes, Haiti has a history of being ruled by corrupt individuals. Hopefully, an independent and strong Haiti can emerge from this turmoil.