Haitian Prime Minister Removed After Six Months by Transition Council

Haiti’s Prime Minister Garry Conille was removed from office on Monday by a transitional council, marking his departure after just six months in the role.

The council has appointed businessman Alix Didier Fils-Aimé as Conille’s successor. This change comes amidst ongoing instability in Haiti throughout the year, which has witnessed widespread gang violence and frequent leadership changes.

Fils-Aimé previously served as the president of Haiti’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The transitional council was established in April with the aim of stabilizing the government following the takeover of the nation’s capital, Port-au-Prince, by gangs in March.

Fils-Aimé had been considered for the prime minister position earlier in the year, but ultimately lost out to Conille, who was appointed in June.

However, Conille quickly faced conflict with the transitional council. Three council members were also accused of corruption. Investigators allege that these officials demanded $750,000 in bribes from a bank director in exchange for his appointment.

All three members implicated in the corruption scandal, Smith Augustin, Emmanuel Vertilaire, and Louis Gérald Gilles, signed the decree removing Conille on Monday.

Despite months of support from the United Nations and international forces deployed to assist the Haitian police, Haiti’s security situation deteriorated further in October.

A senior U.N. official in Haiti stated last month that over 700,000 Haitians have been displaced, and the Multinational Security Support Mission remains under-resourced.

Gang violence, once primarily concentrated in Haiti’s capital city, has expanded under an alliance of heavily armed gangs known as Viv Ansanm, extending beyond the boundaries of Port-au-Prince. Reports indicate “murders, kidnappings and sexual violence of unprecedented brutality” occurring across the country.

‘ Caitlin McFall and