Haiti’s PM orders gangs to drop weapons and promises to take back control of capital

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille ordered gangs to surrender their weapons during a televised speech late Wednesday in which he acknowledged how dangerous life in Haiti's capital and beyond has become and pledged to crack down on the rampant violence.

Conille spoke a day after a second group of 200 Kenyan police officers arrived in Haiti to help quell widespread gang violence as part of a UN-backed mission led by the East African country.

“Life every day in Port-au-Prince has turned into a battle for survival,” he said.

“Many innocent people have lost their lives.”

Gangs control 80% of Port-au-Prince, and they have been blamed for killing or injuring more than 1,500 people in the first three months of the year alone.

Earlier Wednesday, Associated Press journalists observed a line of armoured vehicles roll down the main boulevard in downtown Port-au-Prince, one of the capital's more dangerous areas, as a crowd of Haitians gathered quietly to observe, arms on their hips.

The vehicles carried Kenyan and Haitian police as they fanned out across the downtown area. Several shots rang out, but it wasn't clear who fired and if anyone was injured or killed.

“Drop your weapons and recognise the authority of the state,” Conille said in a message to gangs.

In late February, gangs launched coordinated attacks targeting key state infrastructure. They seized control of more than two dozen police stations; opened fire on the main international airport, forcing it to close for nearly three months; and stormed Haiti's two biggest prisons, releasing more than 4,000 inmates.

The violence led to the resignation of former Prime Minister Ariel Henry in late April and the installation of a transitional presidential council and Conille as the new prime minister.

Diego Da Rin, with the International Crisis Group, noted that gang violence began diminishing in late May, with the first contingent of Kenyans arriving in late June.

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