PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haiti’s long-running political crisis deepened Friday when the country’s transitional presidential council announced it had voted to fire Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, just two weeks before the panel is supposed to step down.
Edgard Leblanc Fils made the announcement at a news conference alongside fellow council member Leslie Voltaire, saying a majority of the panel took the step in a vote Thursday, defying calls from the U.S. government to maintain stability in the Caribbean country’s leadership. No other members of the panel were at the news conference.
The U.S. State Department said in a statement late Thursday that keeping Fils-Aimé on in the position was “integral” to Haiti's efforts to overcome the gangs terrorizing the country, and warned that any politicians supporting the “vicious gangs” would pay a steep cost.
Leblanc did not elaborate on the reasons why council members had turned against Fils-Aimé, who they chose for the position in November 2024. But Leblanc said the council would secure a replacement within 30 days “to find the way to fully restore security and stability and enter a cycle of development, correct the mistakes of the past and look ahead.”
“We know that the decision we make is in the interest of the country and in this sense, our friends in the international community will have to take note of our decisions,” Leblanc said.
Voltaire said the council chose Fils-Aimé in the first place — “it wasn't the whites who chose Didier” — and that the council also would choose his successor, as well as a new government, free of foreign interference.
“Everyone is looking for a Haitian solution to the crisis, but when we start to find a Haitian solution to the crisis, the international community comes in with all its claws," Voltaire said.
He added that while the council recognized Fils-Aimé's capacity and enthusiasm, “the population doesn't get what it needs.”
Voltaire said the council was on its way out but that it wants the “second half to play with a good team.” And if political parties and the civil sector do not find “the best of the best” by Feb. 6, “we will come up with a solution.”
The announcement came as the council faces increased pressure to hold general elections for the first time in a decade. Tentative dates were set for August and December this year to elect a president for the first time since President Jovenel Moïse was killed at his home in July 2021.
Gang violence has surged since then, with armed men controlling an estimated 90% of Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, and swaths of land in the country's central region. More than 8,100 killings were reported across the country of nearly 11 million people from January to November last year, according to the U.N., which warned those figures are underreported.
Leblanc said he wants political organizations, civil society and the religious sector to come together and decide how best to govern Haiti after Feb. 7, when the council is supposed to step down.
Michael Deibert, the author of two books on Haiti, warned that if the council doesn't step down by that date, it “could add another element of volatility and uncertainty in the political arena in a country already struggling with the rupture of constitutional order and incredibly severe crises of violence and insecurity.”
He also noted that more upheaval could occur in the next two weeks: “Alliances are very changeable and transactional in the political arena in Haiti.”
No other members of the nine-member council were present at Friday’s news conference. Seven of them have voting powers, with five considered a majority.
It wasn’t immediately clear if the council’s current leader, Laurent Saint-Cyr, supported dismissing the prime minister. Saint-Cyr said in a statement earlier this week that he opposes any push to undermine the government’s stability ahead of Feb. 7.
On Friday, a spokesman said that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Fils-Aimé to reaffirm U.S. support for Haiti’s stability and security and said that ongoing gang violence can only be stopped with consistent, strong leadership, with the full support of the Haitian people.
Rubio also said that the council “must be dissolved by February 7 without corrupt actors seeking to interfere in Haiti’s path to elected governance for their own gain,” Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott said.
Coto reported from San Juan, Puerto Rico.
FILE - Haiti's Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé attend the inauguration of the nation's new cabinet, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph, File)
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Archrivals India and Pakistan declined to shake hands before and after the most-anticipated game of cricket's Twenty20 World Cup, with India easily winning by 61 runs on Sunday to secure its Super 8 spot.
India opener Ishan Kishan scored 77 off 40 deliveries in a match which almost didn't take place after Pakistan had threatened a boycott earlier this month before reversing its decision.
Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha and India captain Suryakumar Yadav didn't shake hands at the toss, which Pakistan won and chose to field. India and Pakistan players had refused to shake hands at last year’s acrimonious Asia Cup tournament in the United Arab Emirates that took place amid diplomatic and military tensions between the two neighbors.
India made a competitive 175-7 on Sunday on a sticky pitch at R. Premadasa Stadium. In reply Pakistan was bowled out for 114 in 18 overs. Despite the heavy defeat, Pakistan can still advance from Group A. It plays Namibia in its last group game.
Sunday’s game was the first time the teams have met since the Asia Cup, won by India.
India's batting suffered an early setback when its most aggressive batter Abhishek Sharma was dismissed without scoring. Agha bowled the first over with four consecutive dot balls and had Sharma caught by Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Kishan pulled India back with a six and two fours in the following over and he dominated an 87-run stand for the second wicket off 46 deliveries with Tilak Varma.
Kishan's innings included three sixes and 10 boundaries before being bowled by off spinner Saim Ayub.
Ayub took two consecutive wickets in his last over to finish with his career-best T20 bowling of 3-25.
India captain Yadav (32 off 29) and Shivam Dube (27 off 17) made useful contributions for India.
Seam bowler Hardik Pandya gave India an ideal start with a wicket-maiden over, dismissing Sahibzada Farhan in the fourth delivery.
Jasprit Bumrah took two wickets in the next over — Ayub (lbw for 6) and Agha (caught by Pandya for 4).
Spinner Axar Patel bowled Babar Azam (5), leaving Pakistan 34-4.
Usman Khan resisted with a 34-ball 44 but was stumped when he stepped out to hit Patel.
Pandya, Bumrah, Patel and Varun Chakravarthy took two wickets each.
In the lead-up to the match in Colombo, Agha said he believed it was up to the Indian players to decide whether they would shake hands with his team before and after Sunday’s game.
Yadav, for his part, had been non-committal.
“Why are you highlighting that?” Suryakumar asked reporters on the eve of the game. “We are here to play cricket. We will play good cricket. We will take all those calls tomorrow. We will see tomorrow.”
Pakistan’s government considered not playing Sunday’s match after the International Cricket Council kicked Bangladesh out of the World Cup for refusing to play matches in India, citing security concerns.
Pakistan only agreed to play after intense discussions with the ICC. The fixture is a major revenue earner for the ICC.
Political and military tensions have meant the two teams have not played a bilateral series for years.
India has not traveled to Pakistan since 2008 and Pakistan visited India for the 50-over World Cup in 2023 but has since played ICC tournaments at neutral venues.
India has defeated Pakistan 13 times in the 17 T20 games they have played. It now also has an impressive 8-1 record in the nine T20 World Cup matches since the first edition in 2007.
At Mumbai, West Indies notched its third successive win in Group C when it thumped Nepal by nine wickets and qualified for the Super 8 stage of the tournament.
West Indies had already beat Scotland and England to take command of Group C.
Nepal showed plenty of promise in its first game when it lost narrowly to England, but then two heavy defeats against first-timer Italy and Sunday against West Indies saw it eliminated.
Fast bowler Jason Holder grabbed 4-27 and restricted Nepal to 133-8. ShaiHope then smashed an unbeaten 61 off 44 balls and Shimron Hetmyer scored 46 off 32 balls as West Indies cruised to 134-1 in 15.2 overs.
Sanjay Krishnamurthi kept the United States' hopes of Super 8 qualification alive with a maiden T20 half-century – 68 not out off 33 balls – against Namibia in their Group A clash.
Skipper Monank Patel also scored 52 off 30 balls as the U.S. notched up its tournament highest score – 199-4 in 20 overs.
In reply, Namibia was restricted to 168-6, losing its third game and is now eliminated from the competition.
The U.S. won its final game by 31 runs.
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AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
Pakistan's captain Salman Ali Agha, left, looks at India's captain Suryakumar Yadav after the coin toss of the T20 World Cup cricket match between India and Pakistan in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)
India's captain Suryakumar Yadav tosses the coin before the start of the T20 World Cup cricket match between India and Pakistan in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)
West Indies' captain Shai Hope, right and Shimron Hetmyer run between the wickets to score during the T20 World Cup cricket match between Nepal and West Indies in Mumbai, India, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
West Indies' Jason Holder, second left, Nepal's Aarif Sheikh during the T20 World Cup cricket match between Nepal and West Indies in Mumbai, India, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
West Indies' captain Shai Hope, right, pats on the shoulder of Nepal's captain Rohit Paudel after the coin toss during the T20 World Cup cricket match between Nepal and West Indies in Mumbai, India, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
India's captain Suryakumar Yadav reacts as he leaves the ground after losing his wicket during the T20 World Cup cricket match between India and Namibia in New Delhi, India, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
FILE - Pakistan's Salman Ali Agha walks off the field after his dismissal during the third T20 cricket match between Pakistan and Australia, in Lahore, Pakistan, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary, File)
