To the question of the RFI journalist to Prime Minister Garry Conille : If you take a step back, how do you, from an almost technical and professional point of view, judge the state of your country today?
PM Conille, who is traveling to the United States, on his first visit abroad since taking office, responds: “First, there is no Haitian inevitability. The second thing is that unfortunately, until now, the Haitian population has not yet had a government that reflects its generosity, resilience and capacity for work. The third thing is that we need leadership and vision that is above all Haitian. And the fourth thing is that we need support that is much more sustainable and that ultimately leads us to the resolution of our problems, which we have never had until now.”
With this statement, does PM Conille recognize the limits of the government that he himself set up jointly with the Presidential Transitional Council?
PM Conille also calls for “support that is much more sustainable and that will ultimately lead us to the resolution of our problems.”
Are twenty years of support from the Core Group, which decided in 2003 that those who run Haiti will no longer be chosen by Haitians, not enough?
Are not the criminal gangs with ties and sapâtes operating with impunity in Haiti and occupying most of the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince the most visible result of this “accompaniment” not desired by the Haitian people?
Read l’interview published by RFI
Question RFI : Hello Garry Conille. You have been appointed just a month ago. This is your first official trip. What did you come to Washington for? ? Financial support ? Tips for leading Haiti ?
Garry Conille: I was appointed a month ago, but I have been in office for about two weeks. And I have had a government for about a week, a week and a half. Washington’s approach is part of an effort that we are making to re-galvanize, to a certain extent, the international community around the Haitian issue. First, to recall the situation in Haiti, where 80% of the territory of the metropolitan area is controlled by gangs and where half the population is in food shortage. We have problems that are very, very serious. This is part of the approach that we are undertaking to ensure that the international community continues to support us.
RFI Question: You promised that the Haitian state would regain control of the neighborhoods occupied by gangs with the support of the International Mission to Support the Haitian National Police. There is a first contingent of Kenyan police officers who arrived last week in Port-au-Prince. How many of them are on Haitian soil today?
Garry Conille : There are just over 200 in the first contingent and it is expected that in the coming weeks this figure will increase significantly.
RFI Question: 2,500 police officers of the international force are due to expire. When will it be complete?
Garry Conille : This is a process that is underway. I prefer not to talk about an exact date. What I can tell you is that the Haitian partners are very committed. And they are making all the arrangements to make this happen as quickly as possible.
RFI Question: Are there logistical problems, housing problems in particular for these Kenyan police officers?
Garry Conille: In this type of operation in general, there are always a lot of things to resolve. But what I have seen and what we have understood in the conversations we have with our partners is that they understand the urgency. They are very committed to being able to offer the support and the backing that is needed to make this happen.
RFI Question: For the time being, these Kenyan police officers in particular are doing some patrols, but there is no large-scale operation. When will this force really start to fulfill its missions ?
Garry Conille: The mission of this force is obviously to support the national police, which has never stopped carrying out operations. So the retaking of these territories that are now occupied by gangs will always be the police and the Haitian army. We are the ones who will decide when, in what context and how this support will be necessary and will have added value. Obviously, we will discuss with them to see how they will be able to help us.
RFI Question: There are 2,500 men to support a police force that is understaffed. On the other side, it is estimated that there are several thousand gang members. Is that a sufficient number?
Garry Conille: I think there are three considerations. The first is that security is not just a police matter. It is an intervention that must be much more comprehensive. The success of the operation and its sustainability can only be achieved when we have fully reconciled the police with the community. When we consider the efforts we are undertaking, we have this vision. We really need to strengthen the capacity of our police. What these contingents allow us to do is to support ourselves at the same time as we are strengthening our personnel. We have just graduated 455 police officers and specialized forces. We will continue to do this systematically. This is not the end of supporting the mission. Above all, it is very specific and limited support in time, we hope. And which gives us the space we need to strengthen our own capacities.
RFI Question: Will this relative slowness in the deployment of the international support mission allow the gangs to adapt, to see how to adapt to the force that will be opposed to them?
As I was telling you earlier, the Haitian National Police has never stopped intervening and has never stopped protecting the population. Obviously, with the limitations that you know about. And so in that sense, probably yes, I assume that the gangs are positioning themselves. But I don’t know. But what is certain is that, whatever they are doing, I assure you that in the not too distant future, the State will regain control of the entire national territory.
Question RFI: Jimmy Chérizierhe is a powerful gang leader who is called ” Barbecue ». He said he was ready for dialogue last week. Do your teams have any contact with him? When you are the government of Haiti, do you talk to the gangs?
Garry Conille: I answered this question a few weeks ago: we must first lay down our arms and recognize the authority of the State before any dialogue. That is the first step and then we will see.
RFI Question: Beyond securing the country, the economy and the health system are on the ground in Haiti. They practically no longer exist. More than 5 million people are in food insecurity situation. How does your government intend to respond to these emergencies? What priority do you set?
Garry Conille: The transitional government is in place on the basis of an agreement which is the agreement of April 3 and which clearly defines the main areas of intervention and priorities. Obviously, there is security, there is the humanitarian crisis, there are problems of corruption, among others, and certainly the elections. We have just finished two days of retreat where the different ministries completed road maps that very clearly identify how we are going to move towards these different priorities in an organized manner. And precisely, the purpose of this visit is to see to what extent our partners can support us in a very systematic way in the implementation of different strategies which, in our opinion, should be able to succeed. I must tell you that in fact, what gives us a lot of hope is that in recent weeks, the political parties which generally do not agree, have been able to reach a consensus to build the system of governance. The Presidential Council now has nine members. These nine members have been able to agree on a Prime Minister. We were able to set up a government in seven days. The force arrived. The population more or less accepted this transitional formula. The international community is very mobilized, much more than it was a few months ago. So I am quite confident: with this support, we will succeed.
RFI Question: You spent several years abroad, such as in international cooperation with the United Nations in particular. If you take a step back, how do you, from an almost technical and professional point of view, judge the state of your country today?
Garry Conille: The situation is extremely complex. And it is not only because gangs control the majority of the territory. It is not only because we have nearly 5 million people in food insecurity or because of development problems, but it is precisely because there is an institutional weakness. The instruments that a government generally gives itself to be able to approach these problems no longer exist. And at the same time, I must tell you that the support that we have received so far from the international community, in my opinion, deserves to be reviewed. But what I fundamentally believe for having done this work almost everywhere around the world, is that first of all, there is no Haitian inevitability. The second thing is that unfortunately until now, the Haitian population has not yet had a government that reflects its generosity, its resilience and its capacity for work. The third thing is that we need the leadership and the vision that is above all Haitian. And the fourth thing is that we need support that is much more sustainable and that ultimately leads us to the resolution of our problems, which is something we have never had until now.
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