Haiti | The new prime minister wants a “new lease of life” for the police in the face of gangs

(Port-au-Prince) The new Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille explained Thursday the change at the head of the national police by the need for a “new lease of life” in the face of gangs which terrorize the population and hinder government action.

Since Wednesday, the police have had a new director general: Rameau Normil, officially appointed in the official journal to replace Frantz Elbé.

“We have taken steps to make a change at the head of the police because we believe that the time has come to give new life, new energy to the institution,” Mr. Conille said at a press conference.

“Facing the challenges linked to insecurity is a collective responsibility […]. The population must feel involved in the process of restoring security. This new surge of energy […] at the head of the police will allow communication between the population and its police,” he assured.

The Prime Minister indicated that the government would soon meet with Rameau Normil to discuss a road map. Mr. Normil has already been chief of the national police, in 2019-2020.

Haiti has suffered from chronic political instability for decades. But in recent months, the country has faced a resurgence of violence from gangs, who control 80% of the capital Port-au-Prince.

A multinational force led by Kenya, supposed to support a Haitian police force lacking resources, is still waiting, to the point that Haitians now say they doubt the arrival of these men.

Garry Conille claimed to have spoken with the Kenyan authorities and assured that they “really wanted to support us”.

The Kenyans “are forced to manage certain constraints, but I remain convinced that they will do everything possible to manage these constraints and come and help us as quickly as possible,” he said.

At the same press conference, Mr Conille promised to work on a national anti-corruption strategy, acknowledging that authorities had to deal with a “rooted” problem of “bad governance”.

“Up to 30% of state personnel are receiving their salaries while absent, we need to address this immediately,” he said.