New Haitian PM Garry Conille Hospitalized

Screenshot of Youtube @ Associated Press

JAKARTA - Haiti's new prime minister, Garry Conille, has been hospitalized in the capital Port-au-Prince since last Saturday or days after being elected to lead the country. Conille did not mention in detail the illness he suffered so he was treated. The prime minister's office said Conille felt a little unwell after a week of intense activity. "Conille is stable and he thanked those who visited him and wished him well," the prime minister's office was quoted as saying via abcnews, Sunday, June 9. Louis G&eacee;Rald Gilles, a transitional presidential council member who recently elected Conille as the troubled leader of the Caribbean nation, told The Associated Press he was in hospital but was unable to provide further information. A person close to Conille, who spoke on condition of not being named because he was not authorized to speak to the media told AP that he was with the prime minister when he saw Conille, who he said had asthma and sometimes used him. The man said he called high-ranking officials and told them that Conille needed to be taken to the hospital. A Conille spokesman did not reply to messages for comment. AP journalists observed top officials entering the hospital, including Frantz elb&eacee; Also present were Bruno Maes, UNICEF's representative in Haiti. A number of curious spectators gathered outside the hospital as authorities blocked the road in a colored glass SUV. Conille was elected prime minister on May 28 after a convoluted selection process. He faces a tough task as Haiti's newest leader, including eradicating widespread gang violence as the country prepares for the deployment of the UN-backed Kenyan police force, a step that has been partially postponed due to Haiti's shortage of prime ministers after former Prime Minister Ariel Henry stepped down. down April 25. Henry was on an official visit to Kenya when the gang launched a coordinated attack in February. On August 29, set fire to police stations, opened fire on the country's country's main international airport and stormed Haiti's two largest prisons, releasing more than 4,000 inmates. The violence left Henry behind overseas and eventually led to his resignation. Conille arrived in Haiti on June 1, after working abroad until now as regional director of UNICEF for Latin America and the Caribbean, a position he held in January 2023. He previously served as prime minister of Haiti from October 2011 to May 2012 under then President Michel Martelly. Conille has met with many officials and visited various parts of Port-au-Prince since arriving, including riding into armored vehicles wearing helmets and armored jackets to patrol with officers from the Haitian National Police.

Earlier Saturday, Conille visited Haiti's main international airport, which recently reopened after gang violence forced him to close for nearly three months. On Friday, he met with leaders of the private business sector and the country's two telecommunications companies. Conille has also met regularly with the transitional council as they debate who should be appointed to Haiti's new Cabinet.