A call for order
Saint-Cyr thanked all national and international actors who have helped Haiti, as well as the private sector, which he called the engine of the country’s economy. He noted that while he’s from the private sector, he would serve all people equally.
Saint-Cyr previously served as president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Haiti and of the country’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He’ll be working with Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, a one-time president of an internet company in Haiti and also a former president of the country’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Saint-Cyr said security was a priority. He called on the armed forces to intensify their operations and on international partners to send more soldiers, offer more training and help boost a mission lacking resources and personnel.
“We must restore state authority,” he said. “The challenges we face are certainly linked to insecurity, but they also are the result of our lack of courage, a lack of vision and our irresponsibility.”
He questioned what was preventing the government from offering services Haitians deserve, including health and education. “Mister prime minister, assume your responsibilities!” he said.
Meanwhile, 58 organizations from countries that include the United States in a letter to Saint-Cyr accused the council of violating its legal obligations to Haiti’s women and girls.
“Collective rape is endemic,” they said, noting that sexual violence has surged as gangs persist in their rampage. The organizations also accused Haiti’s government of being “completely absent” at shelters where rape survivors need basic services.
A growing number of people have grumbled about Haiti’s private sector leading the country. Some of Haiti’s wealthy elites and powerful politicians have long been accused of financing and arming dozens of gangs.
“The elites have always wanted power, and they have always wanted to control Haiti, and now they’re in control,” said Marline Jean-Pierre, a 44-year-old teacher who braved gunfire to visit a friend at a hospital in downtown Port-au-Prince.
She said she has lost hope that things will change, accusing former council presidents of making promises they didn’t keep.
“Nothing really happened,” she said. “Young women are being raped, families are being dismantled.”
However, dozens of Haitians wearing white T-shirts and clutching signs emblazoned with Saint-Cyr’s photograph gathered outside the council’s office to support him.
Skirmishes broke out hours later between supporters and those who opposed Saint-Cyr.
“Even though he’s a mulatto with good hair, he’s Haitian,” one supporter said of Saint-Cyr, who is part of the country’s small and powerful lighter-skinned elite — as is Fils-Aimé.
‘Remain on guard!’
As the country prepared for Saint-Cyr’s swearing-in ceremony, Haitians posted a flurry of warnings about violence in hopes that people could remain safe.
“Those of you in the capital, you will hear gunshots both ahead of you and behind you. Remain on guard!” one message stated.
Tripotay Lakay, a local news site, reported that one person was killed and another injured while driving into Port-au-Prince on Thursday, though it was unclear how that happened. A video posted on social media shows a woman’s body slumped in the car.
Heavy gunfire around downtown Port-au-Prince persisted on Tuesday afternoon, with local media reporting that several people were wounded. Small explosions from police-manned drones also were heard.
