Haiti’s presidential council stepped down on Saturday, ending nearly two years of leadership intended to guide the country toward elections alongside a prime minister backed by the United States. The council’s dissolution came at a moment when Haiti’s security crisis has continued to grip the capital and much of the country, complicating political planning and day-to-day survival.
According to the Associated Press, the nine-member council dissolved after a rocky tenure with Alix Didier Fils-Aimé expected to remain in power for the next phase of governance. Laurent Saint-Cyr, the outgoing council president, said the transition needed to move past personal interests and keep making progress for security, rejecting a push inside the council to remove the prime minister.
The timing also followed a U.S. security posture shift. Days before the council was dissolved, the United States deployed a warship and two U.S. Coast Guard boats to waters near Haiti’s capital, where gangs control much of Port-au-Prince, the report said. Diego Da Rin, an analyst with the International Crisis Group, said the “naval presence appears to provide the latest proof of Washington’s willingness to use the threat of force to shape politics in the Western Hemisphere,” linking the military display to Haiti’s internal power struggle.
The council’s final steps capped a period of tension over Fils-Aimé’s role. In late January, two of the council’s most influential members announced a majority had voted to oust the prime minister, defying U.S. calls for political stability. Days later, the U.S. government announced visa revocations for four unidentified council members and a Cabinet minister, further escalating pressure on the council’s direction.
On Saturday, the council stepped down in an official ceremony. Fils-Aimé then spoke later that evening, in what the report described as a rare move for a Haitian prime minister. He said he would address security, hold elections, and develop an emergency humanitarian plan to provide food, care and shelter for the most vulnerable, adding that “The suffering of the population demands immediate action,” and urging Haitians to unite.
Fils-Aimé, flanked by police and army officials, also pledged to make Haiti safer and to target gang influence directly. He said, “The gangs and those who support them will be hunted down, one by one. Every occupied area will be retaken,” and he linked the goal to a day “until the day every child walks to school without fear.” At the same time, he acknowledged the country’s instability, saying Haiti was at “what he called a dangerous crossroads,” and warning, “I don’t promise miracles.”
The Associated Press also reported that more than 8,100 killings were recorded across the country of nearly 11 million people from January to November last year, citing United Nations figures that the UN said were underreported. Da Rin said negotiations were ongoing over what, if anything, would replace the council as a new multinational security mission prepares to transform a U.N.-backed effort led by Kenyan police that he said was understaffed and underfunded. He argued that “Clarity on who will govern Haiti is essential,” writing that countries contributing to the force would want to work alongside a government whose legitimacy is undisputed.
The report said Feb. 7 is a historic date for Haiti that marks the start of democratic rule after a nearly 30-year dictatorship, and it is also when presidents are traditionally sworn in. General elections did not take place as envisioned for Saturday amid gang violence that has tightened control over parts of the capital and swaths of the central region, with tentative dates later suggested for August and December that many observers say are unlikely to hold this year.
Outside the council’s offices, the Associated Press reported that André Joseph, 42, a street vendor who was selling candy, celebrated the stepping down. He said he lives in a makeshift shelter and wants to return home, adding, “Their time is up. They were there nearly two years and didn’t do anything for the country,” and arguing that Haiti “needs to move on with a better government in charge that could lead the country into a better direction.”