NOS News•today, 8:37 PM
Haiti’s presidential transition council, which was recently established, has appointed a new prime minister. Former Sports Minister Fritz Belizaire takes over in the country plagued by corruption and gang violence.
Little is known about Belizaire; for example, even some members of the council say they know nothing about him. The transitional council hopes that a new prime minister, with his own cabinet team, will restore order and security.
The transitional council, consisting of nine members, acts as temporary leadership of the country until a new president is elected. The main priority is safety. Haiti has been in crisis for years, due to natural disasters, political instability and the resulting gang violence. More than 90,000 people have recently fled the violence in the capital Port-au-Prince.
We previously made this video about what is behind the chaos in Haiti:
From poverty to gang violence: what’s going wrong in Haiti?
The expectations of the Haitian population for the transitional council are not high, according to observers, because the members themselves have been in government in recent years or have a corrupt past.
Furthermore, the gangs themselves want a place at the table. The head of the group of gangs that control about 80 percent of the capital previously demanded to be able to discuss the future of the country. Jimmy Cherizier, better known as ‘Barbecue’, is considering a truce in return.
Henry
Belizaire will succeed Prime Minister Ariel Henry’s temporary replacement. Henry announced his resignation in March and officially resigned last Thursday. He has been in Puerto Rico since late February and waited to leave his position once an interim prime minister and transition council were appointed.
The country’s main gangs have been demanding his departure for some time and threatened civil war. Many residents still fear for their lives. According to a UN report at the end of March, gang violence has already claimed more than 1,500 lives this year.
