Cautious optimism from Haitians as members of transitional council are announced

(17 Apr 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Port-au-Prince, Haiti - 17 April 2024
1. Various of people walking in streets
2. Jhony Rock, teacher and local resident, standing in street
3. SOUNDBITE (Haitian Creole) Jhony Rock, teacher:
“We hope this presidential Council will do better. That they will work to bring stability to the country, restore security in the country. We need a lot of stability and security so that we are free of this occupation. We want to live in our country but instability, insecurity makes life hard. We need to be able to survive in the country.”
4. Various of people in street
5. SOUNDBITE (Haitian Creole) Jhony Rock, teacher:
“Some of the first things I expect from the presidential council is to re-establish security for everyone and second they must arrange to set up an electoral council to organize elections to have elected officials and have leaders who have actually been elected.”
6. Various of people in the street
7. Oseuis Frantzy, librarian and local resident, walking
8. SOUNDBITE (Haitian Creole) Oseuis Frantzy, librarian:
“I see there are some credible names in the presidential council. The only thing I would like to see is that they work on security in the country.”
9. Mid of traffic
STORYLINE:
Residents in Port-au-Prince shared their thoughts on Wednesday on Haiti's new transitional council tasked with choosing the country's next prime minister and Cabinet after the names of the members of the council were finally announced.

The formation of the council, announced in a decree published last Friday in a Haitian government gazette, was expected to soon trigger the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry, but a new provision said he would step down when a new premier is chosen.

Overnight on Tuesday, the names of members of the council were announced, prompting cautious optimism from some in the Haitian capital.

"We hope this presidential Council will do better," local resident and teacher Jhony Rock said, adding he hoped the new council would bring stability and restore security to the troubled Caribbean country where most of the capital remains under the grip of criminal gangs.

Librarian Oseuis Frantzy said he was one of the thousands who had to leave his home when gangs took over his neighbourhood.

“I see there are some credible names in the presidential council. The only thing I would like to see is that they work on security in the country,” Frantzy said .

The council's creation came exactly a month and one day after Caribbean leaders announced plans to help form the nine-member panel, with seven members awarded voting powers.

Friday’s development was cheered by those who believe the council could help steer Haiti in a new direction and help quell widespread gang violence that has paralyzed swaths of the capital of Port-au-Prince for more than a month.

More than 1,550 people have been killed across Haiti and more than 820 injured from January to March 22, according to the U.N.

In addition, gang violence has forced nearly 95,000 people to flee Port-au-Prince in the span of one month, with more than half of them having previously been left homeless as gunmen raze neighbourhoods, the U.N.’s International Organization for Migration said Friday.

The transition presidential council will also be responsible for helping set the agenda of a new Cabinet and will appoint members to form a provisional electoral council, which is needed before elections are held.

“The council needs to create and electoral council as soon as possible so that we have leaders that were actually elected,” Rock added.
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