Haiti PM calls on gang members to disarm
The day after a second batch of 200 Kenyan law enforcement officers were deployed as part of an international stabilisation mission, acting Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille told gang members on Wednesday: “Drop your weapons and recognise the authority of the state.”
His televised evening press conference came amid intensifying efforts to rein in the gang violence that led to the ouster of his predecessor Ariel Henry and worsened the Caribbean nation’s humanitarian crisis, displacing almost 580,000 people.
Conille was sworn in on 3 June as interim leader by a transitional presidential council that was tasked with paving the way towards Haiti’s first elections since 2016, expected now by early 2026.
Membership on the council meant backing the UN-approved, US-bankrolled stabilisation mission, which is expected to swell to up to 2,500 law enforcement personnel with further deployments from the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Benin, Chad, and Jamaica.
Unrest worsened after the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, and reached a new peak this February and March as gangs united to seize key infrastructure and prevent Henry returning from abroad, where he was trying to shore up the Kenya-led mission.
Nearly 5 million Haitians – almost half the population – are facing acute hunger, with 1.6 million at risk of starvation. Displacement has increased 85% since the end of last year.
Gangs are estimated to control more than 80% of the capital city, Port-au-Prince, and have been extending their activities into other regions, with the spreading insecurity often preventing aid groups from reaching those who desperately need assistance.
For more background and context on the situation in Haiti, read our recent news feature:
Is the lull in gang violence in Haiti just the calm before the storm?
A new government and the start of an international security mission has brought some respite, but Haitians are fearful of what lies ahead.
