Haiti: Government taking steps to regain full control of the capital

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, CMC – The Haitian government has sought to assure citizens that the State is mobilising all its resources to regain full control of occupied territories and that life is gradually resuming in the capital, Port-au-Prince.

“The government is taking steps to restore the city centre to what it once was,” said Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé.

“The State calls on the entire population to cooperate with the authorities… together, we can ensure security, freedom, and dignity for every citizen,” he said, reiterating that the safety of the population is a non-negotiable issue and that the State will never abandon it midway.

The Office of the Prime Minister on Thursday evening released a video on social media showing what it said was progress being made in regaining territory that had been seized by criminal gangs, who have sought to overthrow the provisional government ever since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse on July 7, 2021.

“The government, in collaboration with the Haitian National Police (PNH) and the Haitian Armed Forces (FAd’H), is conducting large-scale and relentless operations in downtown Port-au-Prince with the aim of regaining control of the areas occupied by criminal bandits,” the Office of the Prime Minister said, adding, “these operations will continue without interruption until the State regains full control of the city centre.”

The nearly three-minute video shows major clean-up work progressing rapidly to allow free and safe movement of people and vehicles.

The government said that to date, more than 1,000 cubic metres of waste and more than 200 wrecked vehicles have been removed from the roads.

It added that the Ministry of Public Works, with a massive deployment of equipment, in collaboration with several other State institutions, continues to clean up, repair roads, and restore infrastructure so that life can resume normally.

Earlier this week, President of the Transitional Presidential Council (CPT), Laurent Saint-Cyr, and Prime Minister Fils-Aimé held talks with a United Nations delegation led by Tom Fletcher, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator (OCHA).

The discussions focused on immediate national priorities including restoring security, providing humanitarian support to displaced populations, organising elections, economic recovery, and resuming air travel.

President Saint-Cyr said that security remains the essential condition for the resumption of national life and the organisation of free and credible elections. He reiterated the determination of the Haitian authorities to combat armed gangs, restore State authority, and restore confidence in the population.

“Haiti needs increased support from the international community to emerge from this crisis. Gangs will not dictate the future of the country.”

Prime Minister Fils-Aimé recalled that millions of Haitians are living in a situation of extreme vulnerability, exacerbated by insecurity, and emphasised the need to channel aid through the Haitian government to ensure better coordination.

He said that with regard to elections, 87% of polling centres have already been identified, 70% of electoral staff have been mobilised, and national funding of US$65 million has been secured through the common fund managed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).