Haiti PM touts new police chief in fight against violent gangs

A member of the special police unit protecting the Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille holds his weapon as Conille makes an announcement about the government's efforts to establish and maintain security in Haiti, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti on June 20, 2024. [AFP]

Haiti's Prime Minister Garry Conille said Thursday that a decision to replace the national police chief was motivated by a need to give security forces a "new lease of life" against gangs terrorizing the population.

Rameau Normil was appointed director-general of the troubled Caribbean nation's police force on Wednesday, replacing Frantz Elbe.

"We took steps to make a change at the head of the police because we felt the time was right to give the institution a new lease of life, a new energy," Conille said at a press conference.

"Confronting the challenges of insecurity is a collective responsibility. The population must feel involved in the process of restoring security," he said, promising improved communication between citizens and the police force.

Conille also said he had spoken with Kenyan authorities and that they were eager to work together, referring to a UN-backed security mission from Nairobi designed to bolster Haiti's police, which has not yet materialized.

He also said he would create a national anti-corruption strategy, noting that "up to 30 percent of state employees receive salaries while being absent, we must immediately remedy this."

Gang violence has long wracked Haiti, but the situation worsened in late February when armed groups launched attacks in capital Port-au-Prince, calling for the overthrow of unelected and unpopular prime minister Ariel Henry.

Henry announced in March he would step down and hand over power to a transitional council, which was established in late May before it named Conille as its interim leader.

About 580,000 Haitians have now fled their homes due to gang violence, a 60 percent spike just since March, the UN International Organization for Migration said on Tuesday.