Haiti's PM vows security boost and corruption crackdown

Haiti's Prime Minister Garry Conille said Wednesday that greater security and a crackdown on corruption would be priorities for his newly installed government in the troubled Caribbean nation.

"Haiti is confronted by major challenges. Violence and instability paralyze our daily lives," Conille said at an official ceremony.

"My government will work without rest to improve the conditions of each and every Haitian," Conille said, adding, "without security, no sustainable progress can be achieved."

"It is crucial our police and soldiers are ready to face today's security challenges. And we will ensure that they have the tools they need to carry out their mission effectively and professionally."

Haiti has long been rocked by gang violence, but at the end of February armed groups launched coordinated attacks in capital Port-au-Prince, saying they wanted to overthrow then prime minister Ariel Henry.

Henry announced in early March that he would step down and hand executive power to the transitional council.

On Tuesday, a decree appointing members of the new cabinet was published in Haiti's official gazette, two weeks after its transitional council named Conille as interim prime minister.

Conille also said Wednesday that Haiti's state institutions need to be "cleaned up and strengthened."

"The fight against corruption will be an absolute priority of my government," Conille said, promising regular audits of public resources.

The president of the transitional council, Edgard Leblanc Fils, said the government's goal was to "open a path to establishing free, democratic, credible and transparent elections."

Last year a UN-backed security force, to be led by Kenya, was promised as a boost to struggling Haitian police, but it has not yet been deployed.

Kenya's President William Ruto has said the deployment would likely start within a few weeks, sending 1,000 officers for the mission alongside personnel from several other countries.

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