Haiti businessman takes over presidency as gangs threaten transition
PORT-AU-PRINCE - Haitian businessman Laurent Saint-Cyr took over his country's leadership on Thursday, the last phase of its transition before it is mandated to hand power to a democratically elected successor, but a top gang leader threatened to topple the precarious government.
Saint-Cyr was inaugurated at a ceremony at the capital's Villa d'Acceuil, the temporary seat of power after downtown Port-au-Prince became too insecure.
He called on foreign allies to do more to help local security forces that have struggled to prevent heavily armed gangs from gaining power and territory.
"I invite all international partners to increase their support, send more soldiers, provide more training," Saint-Cyr said at the ceremony. "I am asking the security forces to intensify their operations."
A U.N.-backed security force led by Kenyan police deployed to Haiti a year ago but it has struggled with a lack of personnel and resources. The council has said it has recently contracted a private military company to assist.
Bursts of gunfire were heard in parts of the capital on Thursday morning, as Jimmy "Barbeque" Cherizier, who leads the Viv Ansanm coalition of gangs that now controls most of the capital, threatened to disrupt the transition.
"We have decided to march on the Premier's office and the Villa d'Accueil to end it all," Cherizier said in a video shared on social media.
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The inauguration ceremony ended without disruption, however.
In the nearby suburb of Petion-Ville, one of the last pockets of the capital still largely outside gang control, residents marched towards the Villa d'Acceuil in white shirts carrying printed signs in support of Saint-Cyr.
The U.N.-backed force said it had thwarted plots to "disrupt national stability and render the country ungovernable" in the early hours of Thursday.
Three of its officers were briefly hospitalized after two patrolling armed vehicles came under attack by Molotov cocktails and were set ablaze, it said.
MONEY, RACE AND POWER
Saint-Cyr, who sat on a prior transition council during the premiership of Ariel Henry, took over from former central bank chief Fritz Alphonse Jean, marking a shift to the right for the unpopular nine-member council.
Saint-Cyr represents Haiti's private sector on the council, which consists of leaders from different society groups.
Prime Minister Alix-Didier Fils-Aime is also from Haiti's business class. Both he and Saint-Cyr are mixed-race, and some Haitians have raised concerns of power concentrating in the hands of the former French colony's wealthy, lighter-skinned economic elite.
The council, which took power in April last year through a deal brokered by Washington and Caribbean leaders with Haiti's warring political factions, has been criticized by police and protesters for failing to seriously address the security crisis.
Three of its members were accused last year of corruption but remained in their posts. They denied wrongdoing.
Saint-Cyr's term runs until February 7, 2026, when the council's mandate is set to end and a newly elected president be inaugurated, although it is unclear if elections called for November will be able to take place.
Political analysts have warned that rushed elections could further empower the armed gangs and Viv Ansanm has already announced itself as a political party.
Viv Ansanm (Living Together) has been accused by rights groups of widespread human rights abuses including mass killings, rapes, extortion, ransom kidnappings, and drug and organ trafficking. Washington has designated it a terrorist organization.
More than 1.3 million Haitians are internally displaced and many are living in makeshift camps. The conflict has pushed thousands into famine-level hunger and more than 3,100 people were killed in the first six months of this year alone.
Alongside Gaza and South Sudan, Haiti is among the U.N. food agency's hotspots of highest concern. REUTERS
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