Former police director general sworn in as Haiti’s secretary of state for public security
PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti (CMC) — The former director general of the Haitian National Police (NHP), Mario Andrésol, has been sworn in as the new secretary of state for public security, with Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, saying the “appointment illustrates the government’s desire to address the security challenges of the nation”.
The Haitian authorities have been trying to restore peace and security to the French-speaking Caribbean Community (Caricom) country with criminal gangs vowing to overthrow the government and engaging in various deadly attacks, mainly around the capital.
“Public security is and will remain the foundation on which we will build a stable, prosperous and united Haiti,” said Prime Minister Fils-Aimé at the swearing-in ceremony, urging the newly installed secretary of state to act “diligently and efficiently, by mobilising all necessary resources”.
Andrésol, who was sworn into office by the head of the Presidential Transitional Council, Leslie Voltaire, expressed his determination to deal with the security challenges across the country.
“If I have agreed to return to the service of the state and the population in a context as difficult as it is troubled, it is not because I believe that I can work miracles,” said Andrésol, in the presence of the Justice Minister, Patrick Pélissier, who chaired the event.
Andrésol, who served as PNH director general from 2005-2012, told the ceremony that while he is not “the bearer of any messianic destiny…I have great hope that my experience in the strategic and operational field, combined with the professional skills of specially selected collaborators, will be able to make a significant contribution to this great project of rebuilding the security governance of the country”.
For his part, Pélissier spoke of the importance of the appointment in the context of ongoing efforts to strengthen the rule of law and guarantee the security of citizens.
He praised the commitment of Andrésol, while President Voltaire emphasised the need to unite all the Haitian stakeholders.
