Gérard Latortue, former interim Haitian premier, dies at 88

Gérard Latortue, a former interim prime minister of Haiti who helped rebuild and unite the country after a violent coup in the mid-2000s, has died. He was 88.

Prime Minister Ariel Henry announced Latortue’s death Monday, saying it was a tremendous loss for the nation He described Latortue as “ a reformer, a convinced patriot, an eminent technocrat, a voice of change, of development (and) a supporter of democracy ”

Latortue was a former exile who was sworn in as interim prime minister in March 2004 following months of bloodshed and political strife that left more than 300 dead and culminated in the ouster of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide The turmoil at the time prompted the US military to escalate its mission in Haiti

In a July 2004 interview with The Associated Press in Washington, Latortue vowed to fight corruption and disarm powerful gangs as he requested $1 3 billion from the international community to help rebuild Haiti after the violent revolt

In September 2005, he welcomed former US State Secretary Condoleezza Rice to Haiti, where she stressed the need for local officials to accelerate the process to hold general elections

Latortue said at the time that his administration shared the same concerns as the US government and the international community, and that the administration would honour the results of the upcoming elections

“This government has no concerns whatsoever as to who will be the next president Whoever that is, we will greet that person with open arms and pass power on to him or her,” Latortue said at the time

In February 2006, Haiti held general elections to replace the interim government of Latortue, who was succeeded by former Prime

Minister Jacques-Édouard Alexis The provisional president, Boniface Alexandre, was succeeded by former President René Préval

On Tuesday, former Prime Minister Jack Guy Lafontant tweeted that Latortue was “ a pragmatic politician who knew how, in a very difficult context, to lead the country to free and democratic elections ”

Latortue had previously served as Haiti’s foreign minister, as a business consultant in Miami and as an official with the UN Industrial Development Organization in Africa

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The report said that in 2022, ERO conducted nearly twice the number of administrative arrests it made in 2021

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Stakeholders tell CARICOM mission of urgent need to protect Haitian citizens from gangs

Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness reported that stakeholders want urgent action to secure Haitian residents under siege from violent gangs after a one-day Caribbean Community (CARICOM) mission to Haiti to observe firsthand the situation there

Holness led the working visit on Monday for what CARICOM said, in a brief statement issued after the trip, was “the first opportunity for CARICOM officials to observe the situation on the ground and directly engage stakeholders in the continuing search for a solution to the ongoing situation in Haiti”

The seven-member group met with the interim Prime Minister of Haiti Dr Ariel Henry, the Director General of the Haitian National Police, and a variety of stakeholders including representatives of the High Transition Council, political accords, political parties, civil society, religious groups, and the private sector in the country which is facing political and security instability, with unrelenting gang violence a key feature of everyday life

“A common theme expressed by each group is the urgency of national security and the need to safeguard the Haitian population from gangs Underpinning this is a call for organic democracy, institution building, structure, and organization,” Prime Minister Andrew Holness said after the meetings

He added that CARICOM was anxious to play a role in the restoration of stability in Haiti and will be a strong advocate for support to Haiti, as well as continues on B4 – Urgent Need