PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti
An official decree named the members of Haiti's transitional ruling council on Tuesday, a further step toward installing the body meant to bring a semblance of order to the violence-wracked nation.
A decree in Haiti's official
gazette "Le Moniteur" on Friday announced the council's
establishment, a month after Prime Minister Ariel Henry said he would step down
amid a wave of attacks by armed gangs in the capital.
But a day later, the nine
groups and political parties who will be represented on the council said they
were "deeply shocked" by the text, saying it introduced "major
modifications" to an agreement reached a week earlier.
In its decree, the outgoing
government acknowledged the creation of the council, but did not mention its
members by name.
The government then called on
"the personalities designated by the stakeholders" to submit
documents to authorities for approval.
That appeared to delay the
setting up of the council, and stirred fears the government could reject some
of the names.
Tuesday's decree in "Le
Moniteur" seemed to partially address that concern by explicitly naming
the seven voting members and two non-voting observers.
However, it also said that the
members "will be required to submit the necessary documents within a
reasonable timeframe, and that if they are unable to do so, they will be
obliged to resign."
The council is meant to ensure a smooth transition as Henry—who has been Haiti's unelected leader since the 2021 assassination of president Jovenel Moise—leaves office, paving the way for new presidential elections to be held.
Haiti has not held elections
since 2016. In the years since Moise's killing the impoverished nation has
grappled with spiraling security and political crises.
Last year, a UN-backed force
led by Kenya was tasked with deploying to the country and helping its
beleaguered police rein in criminal gangs.
But the force has yet to
deploy, even as humanitarian agencies plead for aid amid growing hunger,
surging poverty and a lack of health care.
Henry was in Kenya in February
trying to organize the deployment of the international force when gangs
launched a coordinated attack and demanded the 74-year-old's resignation.
The ensuing explosion in
violence saw foreigners evacuated and thousands of Port-au-Prince residents
flee the city, even as aid agencies warned that infrastructure in other parts
of the country could not support them.
After intense US and regional
pressure, Henry agreed in March to step aside and facilitate the formation of
the transitional council.
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