On May 27, 2026, Haiti took a key step toward stabilizing one of its most troubled urban areas with the formal inauguration of a new municipal governing commission for Cité Soleil, a densely populated neighborhood that has long grappled with widespread insecurity and underdevelopment.
The installation ceremony was led by Paul Antoine Bien-Aimé, Haiti’s Minister of the Interior and Territorial Communities, joined by senior regional and national officials including Gérald François, Departmental Delegate for the West, and Mallew Étienne, Director of Territorial Communities. The event drew a diverse audience of attendees, ranging from civil society representatives and national political figures to family members and supporters of the incoming commission members.
Leading the new body is Daniel Saint-Hilaire, who will serve as commission President, a role equivalent to municipal mayor. He will be joined by two deputy mayors, Betty Montina and Jackenson Auguste. The interim commission has been mandated to oversee all municipal administrative functions and drive local development work until general local elections can be held at a future date.
In his keynote address at the ceremony, Minister Bien-Aimé highlighted the extraordinary grit and persistence Cité Soleil residents have demonstrated amid the overlapping crises that have held the community back for years. He pointed to the deep-seated challenges the municipality faces: ongoing gang-related violence, crumbling or nonexistent basic infrastructure, and widespread systemic poverty that leaves most residents in precarious living conditions. Against this backdrop, he pressed the new leadership to prioritize sustained, responsive support for local residents, emphasizing that collaboration with all community stakeholders is critical to building the peace and stability needed to enable displaced families to return to their homes and allow daily community and economic life to resume. “I am counting on you to work towards establishing security and stability, as well as economic recovery and creating the necessary conditions for holding elections,” Bien-Aimé told the commission.
Following his formal appointment, Saint-Hilaire laid out his administration’s priorities after opening with remarks thanking national officials for the opportunity to lead. He committed the commission to open, accountable, and dynamic governance rooted in transparency, integrity, and consistent engagement with all community groups.
To tackle Cité Soleil’s most pressing challenges, Saint-Hilaire called for coordinated support from local and national public institutions, private sector organizations, and Haiti’s international development partners. He also issued a appeal for collective action to all residents of Cité Soleil, including members of the Haitian diaspora with roots in the community, noting that the upcoming Atlantic hurricane season—set to begin on June 1—adds extra urgency to addressing gaps in infrastructure and emergency preparedness.
Saint-Hilaire also spoke openly about the ongoing violence that has torn through multiple sections of Cité Soleil, a crisis that has already claimed civilian lives, destroyed widespread property, and forced thousands of families to flee their homes. He confirmed that the new commission will work hand-in-hand with Haiti’s central government to facilitate inclusive, constructive dialogue aimed at ending conflict, reopening closed schools, rebooting local economic activity, and creating safe conditions for displaced populations to return to their original neighborhoods.