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 obstruct 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 breathe new life, new energy into the institution,” Mr. Conille said during a conference. Press. “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 their police,” he assured.
The Prime Minister indicated that the government would soon meet with Rameau Normil to discuss a road map. Rameau 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 had to face a resurgence of gang violence, which controls 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 obliged to manage certain constraints but I remain convinced that they will do everything possible to manage these constraints and come to help us as quickly as possible,” he said. At the same press conference, Garry Conille promised to work on a national anti-corruption strategy, recognizing that the authorities had to confront a “rooted” problem of “bad governance”.
“Up to 30% of state staff are receiving their salaries while absent, we must immediately address this,” he said.
