Port-au-Prince, October 26, 2024._ Chaos grips Haiti as Armed Gangs and Corruption Tighten Their Hold. Haiti is in crisis. Since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021, the country has spiraled into chaos, leaving key institutions paralyzed and nearly 80% of the capital under gang control. Despite widespread protests, coalitions, and political machinations leading up to Moïse’s death, the opposition had no coherent strategy for the future, creating a vacuum filled by neurosurgeon Dr. Ariel Henry, who was appointed Prime Minister by international intervention.
For nearly three years, from July 2021 to March 2024, Henry governed the nation by trial and error, proving to be one of Haiti’s least effective leaders. Under his administration, corruption ran rampant, with policies that appeased the political elite while armed gangs surged in power, occupying increasingly large territories and challenging the de facto government directly.
Haiti’s fundamental issues, as in poverty, corruption, insecurity, and a devastating academic mind migration, became the pillars of Henry’s legacy. Faced with mounting violence and the threat of “genocide” should Henry remain in power, the international community intervened once again. Yet, many are questioning the disturbing reality: “How has a group of criminals managed to wield such influence over a nation with both a police and military force?“.
In response, the Organization of American States (OEA) proposed a Presidential Transition Council (PTC) to replace Henry’s administration. This council comprises representatives from various political factions, including Edgard Leblanc Fils, Smith Augustin, Emmanuel Vertilaire, Louis Gérald Gilles, Leslie Voltaire, Fritz Jean, and Laurent St-Cyr. Together, they now oversee a nation entrenched in a seemingly endless cycle of political crisis and poverty.
The United States backed Garry Conille as Prime Minister, a choice viewed by many as either an imposition or endorsement. Appointed by the PTC, Conille assumed office on June 3, 2024.
Since taking office, Conille has focused heavily on crafting his public image through social media, with local media networks broadcasting his every move. However, the public remains skeptical, as his administration offers little beyond empty promises while the country’s socioeconomic conditions continue to deteriorate.
In his role as head of the Superior Council of the Haitian Police (CSPN), Conille reinstated Rameau Normil as the head of the Haitian National Police (PNH), despite Normil’s previous dismissal following the La Saline massacre, which claimed more than 70 lives. Tragically, Haiti endured another massacre on October 3, 2024, in Pont Sondé, a rural community in Artibonite. This attack left 115 dead, underscoring the inability of the Multinational Force and the PNH to protect the population.
Meanwhile, on October 2, 2024, the Anti-Corruption Unit (ULCC) released a report implicating three presidential advisors, Smith Augustin, Emmanuel Vertilaire, and Louis Gérald Gilles, in a corruption scandal involving 100 million HTG siphoned from the National Credit Bank (BNC). They are accused of violating the anti-corruption law of March 12, 2014, with allegations of abuse of office, passive corruption, and bribery. Yet none have resigned, underscoring a political culture where corruption is often treated as a minor offense.
The Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) officially took office on October 18, 2024, despite lacking representatives from women’s and human rights groups. The prospect of elections has ignited fierce debate, as government officials cannot even travel along Martissant’s road, which has been controlled by gangs for over four years. This raises critical questions: “How will voters safely reach the polls, and how can democratic processes function amid such insecurity?“.
While tensions escalate between PTC members and Prime Minister Conille’s supporters, armed gangs continue their coordinated assaults on strategic areas like Solino and Arcahaie, with ambitions of expanding their control. Economic activity has ground to a halt, poverty deepens daily, and the Haitian people increasingly depend on support from the diaspora to survive.
For now, Haiti is a nation at a standstill, with an uncertain future hanging in the balance.
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