CARIBBEAN: Haiti’s Prime Minister Fired Weeks After Visiting Kenya
Garry Conille was ousted on Sunday, ending a political power struggle that has plagued the war-torn country since gangs assumed control.
The country’s electoral council removed Conille, who was appointed interim prime minister in May.
According to an official announcement published in Le Moniteur, the country’s Gazette, on Sunday, November 11, the transition council chose Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, an entrepreneur who owns a chain of dry cleaners and a previous Senate candidate, to succeed Conille.
ðŸ‡ðŸ‡¹ Le Conseil présidentiel de transition a décidé de mettre fin au mandat du Premier ministre Garry Conille.
— RFI (@RFI) November 11, 2024
►C'est Alix Didier Fils-Aimé qui a été choisi pour prendre les rênes du gouvernement.
►Une décision qui suscite déjà des réactions en #Haiti, où les défis sont nombreux… pic.twitter.com/hJ9X57Afjz
The reasons for his firing, however, remain unknown. Didier Fils-Aimé is a former president of Haiti’s Chamber of Commerce.
Conille arrived in Kenya on October 10 for meetings with President William Ruto following the killings of over 70 people at the hands of gangs in Central Haiti.
The two presidents met bilaterally to discuss concerns related to Kenya’s Multinational Security Support Mission (MSSM).
They also addressed ways to strengthen Kenya-Haiti’s long-standing connections, particularly in areas of mutual interest such as security cooperation and creating partnerships that promote regional stability.
Haiti's transitional presidential council moves to replace PM Garry Conille after five months in office, causing further political turmoil and instability in the Caribbean nation pic.twitter.com/p9nkywQJSb
— TRT World Now (@TRTWorldNow) November 11, 2024
This circumstance is strikingly similar to Ariel Henry’s resignation from office after visiting Kenya in February of this year.
Even before he left the nation, there were reports that he would be denied re-entry into Haiti following his visit, requiring him to dock in neighboring Puerto Rico for a period.
Henry resigned on March 12 during a crisis meeting of the 15-member Caribbean Community regional bloc known as CARICOM.
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“We acknowledge his resignation upon the establishment of a transitional presidential council and naming of an interim prime minister,” stated Mohammed Irfaan Ali, the Guyana President and chairman of CARICOM.
The Prime Minister’s position will now be filled by the third prime minister in three years, following the assassination of Haiti’s president in July 2021, which left the top post vacant for years due to the lack of elections.
Responding to #Haiti's transitional council's attempt to dismiss him as Prime Minister, Garry Conille writes that the move "is clearly tainted with illegality" and is apparently preparing to resist it. pic.twitter.com/js9VCf4wlp
— Michael Deibert (@michaelcdeibert) November 11, 2024
Conille was a favorite of international communities, which are the country’s biggest donors, and he was expected to lead the country to its first national elections since the death of its president in 2021 next year.
He spoke fluent English and was perceived as outside of typical party politics because he had not resided in Haiti in over a decade.
CARIBBEAN: Haiti’s Prime Minister Fired Weeks After Visiting Kenya
