PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haitian Newly elected Prime MinisterGarry Conille was hospitalized late Saturday in the capital, Port-au-Prince, just days after arriving, the government said.
It was not immediately clear why Conille was hospitalized.
The prime minister’s office said in a statement that Conille was feeling a bit unwell “after a week of intense activity”. He was in a stable condition and thanked those who came to visit him and wished them good health, without providing any further details.
Louis Gérard Gilles, a member of the Transitional Presidential Council that recently elected Conil as its leader. Troubled Caribbean countrytold The Associated Press that he was at the hospital but could not provide further information.
A person close to Mr. Conir, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, told The Associated Press that while he was with the prime minister, he noticed that Mr. Conir, who has asthma and sometimes uses an inhaler, was having trouble breathing. The person called a senior official and said Mr. Conir needed to be taken to hospital.
A spokesman for Conille did not respond to a message seeking comment.
Associated Press reporters saw senior officials, including Haiti’s national police chief, Franz Herbe, entering the hospital, along with UNICEF Haiti representative Bruno Maas.
A few curious onlookers gathered outside the hospital as authorities blocked off the street with SUVs equipped with tinted windows.
Conille was elected prime minister on May 28 after a complicated selection process. As Haiti’s new leader, he faces daunting challenges, including quelling rampant gang violence, as the country prepares for the 2020 presidential election. United Nations-backed deployment of Kenyan police forcesThe move was delayed by Haiti’s lack of a prime minister. Former Prime Minister Ariel Henry resigned on April 25th.
Henry was on an official visit to Kenya when The gang launched a coordinated attack On February 29, they torched a police station, opened fire at the country’s main international airport, and stormed Haiti’s two largest prisons, freeing more than 4,000 inmates. The riots led to Henry being banned from leaving the country and ultimately to his resignation.
Conil arrived in Haiti on June 1st.He most recently served overseas as UNICEF’s Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, a position he assumes in January 2023. Previously, he served as Haiti’s Prime Minister from October 2011 to May 2012 under then-President Michel Martelli.
Since his arrival, Conille has met with officials and visited various locations in Port-au-Prince, including donning a helmet and bulletproof vest and riding in an armored vehicle to patrol with officers from the Haitian National Police.
Early Saturday, Conille toured Haiti’s main international airport, which recently reopened after being closed for nearly three months due to gang violence, and on Friday he met with leaders of the private sector and the country’s two telecommunications companies.
Conilles also met regularly with the transitional council to discuss who should be appointed to Haiti’s new cabinet.
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Coto reported from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Associated Press videojournalist Pierre Richard Lucsama contributed to this report.
