Haiti’s Justice Ministry warns of threats against prime minister and his Cabinet

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haiti’s Justice Ministry called Tuesday for a boost in security for Prime Minister Garry Conille and other Cabinet officials in response to unspecified threats that they could be targeted by malicious parties.

The ministry did not provide details other than to say it had “consistent and persistent” information that the top officials might be targeted by unnamed actors intent on sowing “trouble and panic in the country.” The ministry urged police and judicial authorities to take “appropriate measures” to guarantee the officials’ safety.

Neither judicial authorities nor the office of the prime minister returned messages for comment.

The statement comes as gang violence ramps up in certain neighborhoods of Haiti’s capital that aren’t already under gang control, just months after a U.N.-backed mission led by Kenyan police began. More than 4,000 people have been left homeless in the recent attacks targeting communities in Port-au-Prince including Solino and Tabarre 27.

The escalation in violence began nearly a week ago and is blamed on a gang coalition called “Viv Ansanm,” which was responsible for large-scale attacks that began in February targeting critical government infrastructur e. Those attacks led to the eventual resignation of former Prime Minister Ariel Henry.

The Justice Ministry’s warning raised concerns given that former President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated at his private residence in July 2021.