In anticipation of a scheduled change of administration, on April 23, 2024, troops with firearms monitored the diplomatic entrance of the international airport, while Haitian police used tear gas to disperse crowds from a security barrier surrounding the National Palace.
Gangs that have shut down Port-au-Prince, the country’s capital, have fired repeatedly at the palace. There has been no announcement on the date of the sworn-in ceremony for the nine-member presidential transition committee, although there have been reports that it may take place this week at the palace.
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The Caribbean island nation’s council is anticipated to choose a temporary prime minister and assist in forming a government that would ultimately call for elections.
“Whether or not you’re installed, this message is for you: Brace yourselves,” Leader of the group Jimmy “Barbeque” Cherizier issued a dire warning in a video posted on social media on Tuesday.
Cherizier has demanded that the government be overthrown.
The US military said that it had strengthened security at its mission.
Ariel Henry, the outgoing prime minister, has been urging foreign soldiers to support police in their battle against gangs for more than a year. However, things went slowly, and when he said in March that he would be stepping down to create a new interim administration, things finally stopped. Attacks have intensified and the shift has been slower since then.
Jerry Louis, a citizen of Port-au-Prince, voiced cautious hope in an interview expressing belief in the presidential council, “The presidential council will be able to stabilize the country, but the international community must accept it.”
An important barrier, according to Paolo, a motorcycle rider who did not give his last name, is lawlessness.
The council stated, it “has to put in place a minimum of security so that the population can go about its business.”
Gangs are charged with carrying out rapes on a large scale, kidnappings for ransom, and random homicides. While major ports are still closed, the fighting has resulted in millions of people being hungry and hundreds of thousands of internal displacements.
