Haiti replaces police chief with former head of palace security

9/8/2025 12:13

Haiti's former national palace security chief, Vladimir Paraison, was appointed national police chief by the country's transitional government on Friday, as the Caribbean nation looks to battle armed gangs that have displaced over a million people.



"We the police will not sleep," Paraison, who has the reputation of a seasoned and determined professional, told an inauguration ceremony. "We will provide security across every corner of the country."



Paraison replaced Rameau Normil, whose tenure of just over a year was marked by tensions with a faction of the country's presidential council, notably with Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime, who separately coordinated a task force responsible for explosive drone operations against gangs.



Most of Haiti's capital is controlled by the gangs, who have largely grouped behind an alliance known as Viv Ansanm, which Washington has designated a terrorist organization responsible for mass killings, rapes, kidnappings and extortion.



Haiti's cash-strapped national police and fledgling army have struggled to hold back their advances beyond Port-au-Prince, even with limited support from a U.N.-backed force.