Haiti’s Transitional Council Introduces Unprecedented Power-Sharing Leadership amid Escalating Gang Violence and Deployment of Foreign Forces

In response to escalating gang violence in Haiti, the transitional council tasked with selecting new leaders for the country has made significant changes to its operations. Instead of having a single council president, four prominent politicians – Edgard Leblanc Fils, Louis Gérald Gilles, Leslie Voltaire, and Smith Augustin – will share leadership duties every five months. This decision, described by Robert Fatton, a Haitian politics expert at the University of Virginia, as “a real switch”, is a rare occurrence in Haitian politics and has been praised as an opportunity to truly share power. However, it remains unclear whether former sports minister Fritz Bélizaire will retain his position as chosen prime minister, with a decision expected to be made next week. After a prime minister is appointed, a new cabinet will be selected, which may prove to be a lengthy negotiation process due to the involvement of influential figures. These developments come as Haiti prepares for the deployment of a Kenyan police force to combat gang activity. On February 29th, violent gangs carried out coordinated attacks, burning police stations, attacking the main international airport, and freeing over 4,000 prisoners from the two largest prisons in the country. As a result, supplies such as medicine and oral rehydration fluids have been flown in by US military aircraft, along with civilian contractors preparing for the arrival of foreign forces. However, the exact timing of the Kenyan police’s arrival is still uncertain, pending finalization of deployment plans between Kenyan security officials currently visiting Washington D.C. In addition to these acts of violence, kidnappings have increased, with a female police officer killed while attempting to prevent gang abductions. Over the past three months, there have been approximately 2,500 deaths or injuries, representing a 50% rise in comparison to the same period last year, as reported by UN data.