HAITI – Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime was on Saturday appointed the acting head of Haiti after the dissolution of the Transitional Presidential Council (TPC).

A favorite of Washington, the newly designated head of state begins his renewed rule amid severe political and social turmoil following the end of the transitional governing council.

The TPC was installed in November 2024 and was intended to bring stability and peace to gang-violence-plagued Haiti through a nine-member governing council and a prime minister.

On Saturday, the short-lived political body was dismantled after failing to meet expectations and the needs of the Haitian people, as political instability and gang-related violence continue unabated across the country. Haiti’s domestic criminal organizations have exerted control over the country’s major cities through extreme violence.

According to the UN, the Viv Ansanm gang coalition continues to dominate nearly 90% of the capital, Port-au-Prince. By September 2025, criminal groups had killed at least 4,384 people between January and September of that year.

They also wounded 1,899 individuals and kidnapped 491 others.

Massacres, kidnappings, torture, forced recruitment, and sexual violence have been the primary means through which gangs have maintained control over Haiti’s metropolitan areas. The TPC also contributed to armed violence against the civilian population by authorizing aerial drone attacks, which have killed at least 494 people and injured 418 others.

While the majority of the victims were alleged gang members, the casualties also included 15 residents killed, among them seven children between the ages of eight and 13.

Violence and political instability in Haiti have worsened since the assassination of President Jovenel Moise, who was murdered at the presidential residence in 2021 by an armed commando of Haitian-American citizens and Colombian nationals.

The group is said to have conspired in Florida to abduct Moise and install a former Supreme Court justice as president. Fils-Aime was sworn in as prime minister in November 2024 and has enjoyed US backing.

In January, the TPC moved to remove Fils-Aime from office, drawing the attention of President Donald Trump’s administration. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio vouched for Fils-Aime and warned of a “steep cost” for what he described as “corrupt politicians,” whom he accused of supporting gangs, while urging the TPC to dissolve on Saturday.

Four days ago, the US Department of War deployed three warships to the bay of Port-au-Prince as part of an elite operation reportedly aimed at combating drug trafficking organizations and “ensuring a safer and more prosperous Haiti.”