PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI – Haiti's newly appointed prime minister, Garry Conille, was hospitalized on late Saturday in the capital city of Port-au-Prince. The reason for his hospitalization remains unclear.
Conille assumed office on May 28 after a convoluted selection process. He faces an arduous task as Haiti's newest leader, including quelling widespread gang violence and preparing the country for the U.N.-backed deployment of a Kenyan police force.
The prime minister previously served as Haiti's prime minister from October 2011 to May 2012 under then-President Michel Martelly. He arrived in Haiti on June 1, having worked outside the country until recently as UNICEF's regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean.
Since his arrival, Conille has been meeting with multiple officials and visiting various parts of Port-au-Prince. He toured Haiti's main international airport, which recently reopened after gang violence forced it to close for nearly three months. On Friday, he met with leaders of the private business sector as well as the country's two telecommunications companies.
Conille also had been meeting regularly with the transitional council as they debated who should be appointed to Haiti's new Cabinet.
High-ranking officials, including Frantz Elbé, director of Haiti's National Police, and Bruno Maes, UNICEF's representative in Haiti, were observed entering the hospital where Conille was being treated. No further information on his condition has been released.
Conille was chosen as prime minister after former Prime Minister Ariel Henry stepped down on April 25 following coordinated attacks by gangs that left him locked out of the country. The violence resulted in the burning of police stations, shooting at the country's main international airport, and storming of Haiti's two biggest prisons, releasing more than 4,000 inmates.
Sources: AP (Multiple articles), Bloomberg
