Haiti’s transitional government on Friday appointed Vladimir Paraison, the country’s former national palace security chief, as the new head of the national police in a bid to stem rampant gang violence that has displaced over 1.3 million people.
Paraison, widely regarded as a seasoned and determined professional, pledged an uncompromising approach to restoring order. “We the police will not sleep. We will provide security across every corner of the country,” he declared during his inauguration at Villa d’Acceuil, the temporary seat of government.
He replaces Rameau Normil, whose year-long tenure was marked by tensions with members of the presidential council, particularly Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime, who also oversaw a task force coordinating drone strikes against gangs.
Most of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, remains under the control of powerful gangs, many allied under the Viv Ansanm coalition, designated by Washington as a terrorist organization responsible for mass killings, kidnappings, rapes, and extortion.
Despite limited U.N.-backed support, Haiti’s cash-strapped police and small army have struggled to contain the violence, which claimed more than 3,100 lives in the first half of this year.
Paraison, who walked to the podium with a cane after being wounded in a recent gun battle, was met with applause from attendees.
Council President Laurent Saint-Cyr, who assumed the final six-month leadership rotation a day earlier, said the leadership change was necessary to inject “new breath” into the force, stressing that “everything rests on one thing: security.”
Written By Rodney Mbua
