Haiti’s new Prime Minister sworn in after passenger plane was opened fire in Port-au-Prince

Alix Didier Fils-Aime, a businessman, became the new Prime Minister of Haiti on Monday, November 11, taking the reins in a country racked by lawlessness and political discord. His swearing-in coincided with a startling incident of violence; A Spirit Airlines passenger plane trying to land in Port-au-Prince was exposed to gun fire and the plane had to divert to the Dominican Republic.

“We are going through a transition period in which we have a lot of work to do: the first important job, which is the condition for success, is to restore security,” Fils-Aime said in his first speech.

His predecessor, Garry Conille, was appointed in May but was dismissed with just five months left in his term by the transitional council that came to power following the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021, leaving the country without a sitting parliament or leader. – after a protracted power struggle.

The new Prime Minister of Haiti said he was aware of the country’s “difficult conditions” and promised to “put all my energy, skills and patriotism at the service of the national cause.”

Fils-Aime’s rise to power came about when a Spirit Airlines flight from Fort Lauderdale to Port-au-Prince crashed in a shooting Monday.

While all passengers were uninjured in the accident, one flight attendant was slightly injured.

The low-cost airline said an inspection of flight 951 revealed bullet damage. Images of the bullet-riddled walls inside the cabin went viral on the Internet. Spirit Airlines announced it is pausing flights to Haiti while it reviews security risks.

Meanwhile, according to the Miami Herald, Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince suspended all commercial flights due to the attack.

American Airlines also suspended flights from Miami to the Haitian capital until Thursday.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA), a trade group representing airlines, “strongly” condemned the latest attack, saying there was an “urgent need for robust security measures to protect air operations”.

Amid rising violence in the country, a recent United Nations report estimates that more than 1,200 Haitians have been killed in just three months (July to September) and a growing wave of kidnappings and abuse of women and girls.

(With input from institutions)