AP
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The wealthy businessman on Thursday became head of Haiti’s transitional presidential council, tasked with restoring order in the troubled country, as top gang leaders vowed to overthrow the government and highlighted the challenges the country faced.
The appointment at Port-au-Prince, a strict security guard for the council in the capital of Laurent Saint-Cyr, shows that criminal gangs control 90% of the neighbourhood, and that members of Haitian private sector served for the first time in both the revolving presidency and the post of prime minister.
San Sai started out as a local insurance company, and the current Haiti Prime Minister once ran an internet company.
“Our country is experiencing one of the biggest crises in all history,” Sun Sis said as he swore. “It’s not a time for a beautiful speech, it’s a time to act.”
A few hours ago, a powerful gang federation of Haitian oligarchs threatened to overthrow the government, overthrowing the government, and the shooting exploded in parts of the capital.
In a video posted to social media, Jimmy Chérizier (known as “Barbecue”), the leader of the Viv Ansanm gang, warns residents to pass through the neighborhood and arrive at the council’s office.
“The Haitians, they take care of themselves and help us… in the fight to free the country,” says Cherizier. He wore a bulletproof vest and placed an automatic rifle over his shoulder.
The non-supporting mission led by Kenya Police said in a statement that officers had hampered the potential attacks by increasing the number of troops around certain areas and critical infrastructure.
“Armed gangs were planning to disrupt the stability of the nation and render the country indiscriminate.”
Saint-Sil thanked all the national and international stakeholders who helped Haiti, and the private sector, which he called the engine of the country’s economy. He pointed out that while he comes from the private sector he will serve all people equally.
San Sai previously served as president of the American Chamber of Commerce and the country’s Chamber of Commerce in Haiti. He will work with Prime Minister Alix Didier Philz Aimé, former president of Haitian internet company and former president of the country’s chamber of commerce.
Sun Size said security is a priority. He helped to strengthen their operations, send more soldiers to international partners, provide more training, and boost missions that lacked resources and personnel.
“We must restore the powers of the state,” he said. “The challenges we face are certainly related to anxiety, but they are also the result of lack of courage, lack of vision and irresponsibility.”
He questioned what was preventing the government from providing appropriate services to Haitians, including health and education. “Mr. Prime Minister, assume your responsibility!” he said.
Meanwhile, in a letter to Sun Size, 58 organizations, including the United States, accused the council of violating legal obligations towards Haitian women and girls.
“Gang rape is endemic,” they said. He pointed out that sexual violence surged as gangs stuck to their rampage. The organization also accused the Haitian government of being “completely absent” in shelters where rape survivors need basic services.
More and more people are complaining about Haiti’s private sector, which leads the country. For a long time, some wealthy elites and powerful politicians in Haiti have been accused of funding and arming dozens of gangs.
“The elites have always wanted power, they have always wanted to control Haiti, and now they have control,” said Merlin Jean Pierre, a 44-year-old teacher who encouraged the shooting to visit friends at a downtown Port-au-Prince hospital.
She said she lost hope that things would change and accused the former council president of making promises they didn’t keep.
“Nothing happened,” she said. “The young woman has been raped and the family has been dismantled.”
However, dozens of Haitians supported him, wearing white T-shirts and clenched signs decorated with pictures of San Siya gathered outside the council office to support him.
The skirmish broke out hours later between supporters and those who opposed Sansil.
“He’s Haitian despite being a mulato with good hair,” one supporter said of Saint-Sil, part of the country’s small, powerful skinned elite.
“I’m on alert!”
As the country prepares for the San Sai oath ceremony, Haitians posted a surge in warnings about violence, hoping that people could remain safe.
“You in the capital will hear gunshots in both front and behind you. Stay vigilant!” One message is stated.
Local news site Triptay Raquei reported that one person was killed and another injured while driving to Port-au-Prince on Thursday, but it was unclear how that happened. Videos posted on social media show the woman’s body fell into the car.
Heavy gunshots around downtown Port-au-Prince continued Tuesday afternoon, with local media reporting several people injured. We also heard a small explosion from the policemanned drone.
The violence was also reported in Kenskoff, a once peaceful agricultural area on the Hill of Port-au-Prince.
The unsupported mission said they lost two armored vehicles after being trapped in a trench that was dug by the gang. A Kenyan police officer was attacked with a Molotov cocktail but said he “had the courage to hold the ground and caused great damage to the perpetrators.” Three officers suffered minor injuries.
A video posted on social media shows suspicions that gang members were laughing and cheering around one of the armored vehicles that later flare up.
“Back if possible!” I heard a gunman joking.
In a report released Thursday, UNBacked Mission said it has 991 staff members with less than 2,500 expected and approximately $112 million in the trust fund. That’s about 14% of the estimated $800 million needed per year.
The mission said there was no air support for operations and insufficient equipment including vehicles, so only 200 officers could be deployed at a time.
The mission also said the government remains fragile. “Parent inscribers within the interim government have the effect of paralyzing the government and encouraging gangs,” he said.
The Kenskoff gang recently invited eight people from an orphanage, including an Irish missionary and a three-year-old child. They remain missing.
After President Giovenel Moise was killed in July 2021, violence has surged, and ongoing violence has ousted more than 1.3 million people in recent years.
At least 1,520 people were killed, and more than 600 were injured in Haiti from April to the end of June. More than 60% of the killings and injuries occurred during security forces’ operations against the gang, with an additional 12% being criticized by self-defense groups, according to the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti.
