Violence, including a shooting that killed a gang leader, erupted in Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, on Thursday as political groups moved closer to completing a transition council to fill the void left by the absent government.
A police operation led to the killing of Delmas 95 gang leader Ernst Julme, also known as "Ti Greg," following the recent death of another gang leader, indicating a resurgence of vigilante justice, confirmed by police and sources.
The demise of Julme, a member of gang leader Jimmy "Barbeque" Cherizier's "Viv Ansanm" alliance, represents a setback for the gangs' efforts to expand their control over the city. Julme had recently escaped from Haiti's largest prison during a mass jailbreak.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has expressed approval of reports that political groups have finalized the selection of all members of a transitional council, which will assume presidential powers ahead of future elections, according to a U.N. spokesperson.
This council, aimed at unifying Haiti's fragmented political landscape, is responsible for appointing a successor to Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who announced his resignation on March 11 due to ongoing gang violence preventing his return to the country.
"The Secretary-General welcomes reports that Haitian stakeholders have all nominated representatives to the Transitional Presidential Council," Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq said at a media briefing.
The transition plan was brokered in Jamaica by the intergovernmental Caribbean Community (CARICOM), alongside representatives of Haiti's government and opposition. CARICOM released a list of political groups that would be represented in the council.
The nine-member council had been expected to be finalized within a few days of Henry's resignation, but some Haitian political factions were unable to unite behind one representative.
One party rejected the plan, then backtracked, while groups left out of the plan criticized the return of politicians from previous administrations seen as corrupt.
Cherizier has threatened reprisals against politicians and their families if they take part in the proposed council.
As the council seemed to near completion, heavy gunfire was heard on Thursday near the National Palace off the Champ de Mars square in downtown Port-au-Prince, while people fled shootings in the capital's Petion-Ville suburb.
On Wednesday, suspected gang members in Petion-Ville, which has been under attack over recent days, were killed and set on fire – including one leader known as Makandal – in what appeared to be a resurgence of a civilian vigilante movement known as Bwa Kale.
Local media reported another Bwa Kale killing outside the capital on Thursday, though Reuters was unable to verify this.
The state has been largely absent during the violence, and police are ill-equipped against heavily armed criminal groups seeking to expand their territorial control of the capital city. Plans for an international security mission, requested by Henry in 2022, remain on hold.
Haq said the international force's swift deployment was critical for the political and security situations to improve.
He said the U.N. would support restoring Haiti's democratic institutions and called for the protection of civilians.
The U.N. and other international bodies and embassies have been evacuating staff and other foreigners by helicopter because Haiti's main airport is not secure.
Canada's government said late on Thursday that the Canadian Armed Forces were working with the Canadian Embassy in Haiti to assist in contingency planning. It did not elaborate, but its statement came in response to reports that Canadian soldiers were flown in to protect the Canadian embassy.
The U.S. government on Thursday organized the departure of 90 U.S. citizens from Haiti's northern city of Cap-Haitien to Miami as well as from Port-au-Prince to the Dominican Republic, in addition to 70 it has flown out since Sunday, a State Department spokesperson said.