Overview

• Laurent Saint-Cyr was sworn in on August 7 as head of Haiti’s transitional presidential council, marking the first time a private-sector figure controls both branches of the executive
• Outgoing council president Fritz Alphonse Jean condemned an unauthorized August 4 press release on a proposed 27-year lease to Caribbean Port Services, exposing deep splits over the contract
• Jimmy “Barbecue” Chérizier, leader of the Viv Ansanm gang federation, threatened to overthrow the government and urged residents to aid his fighters in a viral video
• Pre-dawn gunfire emptied Port-au-Prince streets as a UN-supported Kenyan police mission reported foiling plotted gang attacks on critical government sites
• Ongoing violence and political discord put the council’s February 2026 election mandate under strain while more than 1.3 million Haitians are displaced and at least 1,520 killed since April