Haiti forms new government to tackle gang violence

Mr Conille’s attorney, Carlos Hercules, will be the minister for justice and public security and Haiti’s ambassador to Unesco, Dominique Dupuy, will be the foreign affairs minister.

Princeton-educated Ketleen Florestal takes over the finance ministry from Michel Patrick Boisvert, who also served as interim prime minister this year.

While some Haitians will be encouraged by these first steps towards normalcy, especially after the recent re-opening of the country’s international airport, others remain deeply worried about the scale of the task in front of the new cabinet.

Gangs still control most of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and gang leaders refuse to recognise the legitimacy of the interim council or any of the transitional leadership.

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.

A planned deployment of around 1,000 Kenyan police officers to try to restore order is still yet to materialise although Kenyan President William Ruto did reiterate his support for the plan in an interview with the BBC last month.

Mr Henry agreed to step down in March after armed groups blocked his return to the country from Kenya, where he had gone for talks with President Ruto.

Gangs capitalised on the power vacuum left by the prime minister’s exit and expanded their control over swathes of the country, which has effectively become lawless in places.