Haiti's presidential council dissolves after rocky tenure as unelected US-backed ruler remains

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haiti’s presidential council stepped down on Saturday after almost two years of tumultuous rule alongside a U.S.-backed prime minister, who is expected to remain in power as the country prepares for the first general elections in a decade.

Days before the nine-member council was dissolved, the U.S. deployed a warship and two U.S. Coast Guard boats to waters near Haiti’s capital, where gangs control 90% of Port-au-Prince.

“The naval presence appears to provide the latest proof of Washington’s willingness to use the threat of force to shape politics in the Western Hemisphere,” said Diego Da Rin, an analyst with the International Crisis Group.

In late January, two of the council’s most influential members announced that a majority had voted to oust Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, defying calls from the U.S. government to uphold the country’s fragile political stability.

Days later, the U.S. government announced visa revocations for four unidentified council members and a Cabinet minister.

The council’s plan to oust Fils-Aimé for reasons not made public appeared to fall to the wayside as it stepped down in an official ceremony on Saturday.

“We need to put our personal interest to the side and continue progress for security,” said the council's outgoing president, Laurent Saint-Cyr, who rejected a push to dismiss the prime minister.

Fils-Aimé spoke briefly, saying he would address the nation later in the day.

“The presidential council has done its work by paving the way for a governance mindful of security and electoral issues,” he said.

On Saturday evening, in a rare move for a Haitian prime minister, Fils-Aimé spoke at the hour announced and promised to establish security, hold elections and develop an emergency humanitarian plan to provide food, care and shelter for the most vulnerable.

“The suffering of the population demands immediate action,” he said, stressing that Haitians must unite.

Fils-Aimé, who was flanked by police and army officials, also pledged to make Haiti a safer place. More than 8,100 killings were reported across the country of nearly 11 million people from January to November last year, according to the United Nations, which warned those figures are underreported.

“The gangs and those who support them will be hunted down, one by one. Every occupied area will be retaken, until the day every child walks to school without fear,” he said.

However, Fils-Aimé acknowledged that Haiti has reached what he called a dangerous crossroads.

"The coming days will be demanding," he said. “I don't promise miracles.”

Da Rin said negotiations are ongoing to decide what, if anything, would replace the council as a new multinational security mission prepares to transform a U.N.-backed mission led by Kenyan police that was understaffed and underfunded.

“Clarity on who will govern Haiti is essential,” Da Rin wrote in a recent essay. “Countries contributing to this force will want to know they are working alongside a government whose legitimacy is undisputed.”

Feb. 7 is a historic date for Haiti that marks the start of democratic rule after a nearly 30-year dictatorship. It’s also when presidents are traditionally sworn in.

But Haiti failed to hold general elections on Saturday as envisioned a couple of years ago, with gang violence gripping much of the capital and swaths of land in the country’s central region. Tentative dates were announced for August and December, but many believe it’s unlikely an election and a runoff will be held this year.

The council was established in April 2024, nearly three years after President Jovenel Moïse was killed at his residence, throwing Haiti into widespread upheaval.

At the time, former Prime Minister Ariel Henry was unable to return to Haiti following an official trip to Kenya because a powerful gang coalition had attacked key state infrastructure over the course of several days, forcing the country’s main international airport to close for nearly three months.

The council was created after Caribbean leaders and U.S. officials urgently met in Jamaica to build a framework for a political transition after Henry resigned.

Council members had long pledged to quell gang violence and improve life for Haiti but fell overwhelmingly short.

“The government has been unable to push back criminal gangs that control most of Port-au-Prince and have expanded into other areas,” Da Rin noted.

The council also was rocked by accusations of corruption, with a government agency accusing three members of bribery in late 2024.

As the council stepped down on Saturday, André Joseph, 42, a street vendor who was selling candy outside their government offices celebrated. He currently lives in a makeshift shelter — one of 1.4 million people displaced by gang violence — and said he wants to return home.

“Their time is up. They were there nearly two years and didn’t do anything for the country,” he said of the council. “Haiti needs to move on with a better government in charge that could lead the country into a better direction.”

Coto reported from San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Presidential Council Chair Laurent Saint-Cyr speaks during a ceremony marking the end of the transitional council's almost two-year rule, in Port-au-Prince, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)

Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé speaks during the ceremony marking the end of the presidential council in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)

Members of Haiti's presidential council receive bouquets of flowers at a ceremony marking the end of their almost two-year rule, in Port-au-Prince, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)

Haiti's Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, front row, left, and his cabinet pose for a group photo with members of the presidential council at a ceremony marking the end of their almost two-year rule, in Port-au-Prince, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)

Presidential Council Chair Laurent Saint-Cyr speaks during a ceremony marking the end of the transitional council's almost two-year rule, in Port-au-Prince, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)

Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé speaks during the ceremony marking the end of the presidential council in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)

Members of Haiti's presidential council receive bouquets of flowers at a ceremony marking the end of their almost two-year rule, in Port-au-Prince, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)

Haiti's Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, front row, left, and his cabinet pose for a group photo with members of the presidential council at a ceremony marking the end of their almost two-year rule, in Port-au-Prince, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)

Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, center, salutes as he arrives for a ceremony marking the end of the presidential council in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)

HUNTSVILLE, Texas (AP) — A Texas man was put to death Wednesday evening for fatally stabbing his girlfriend and her 8-year-old son in 2013, apologizing profusely to her older son who survived with multiple stab wounds and witnessed the execution.

Cedric Ricks, 51, was pronounced dead at 6:55 p.m. CDT following a lethal dose of the sedative pentobarbital at the state penitentiary in Huntsville.

He was condemned for the May 2013 killings of 30-year-old Roxann Sanchez and her son Anthony Figueroa at their apartment in the greater Dallas-Fort Worth suburb of Bedford. Sanchez’s 12-year-old son, Marcus Figueroa, was stabbed 25 times and feigned death in order to survive.

Ricks apologized repeatedly to seven relatives of his victims who looked on, particularly Marcus Figueroa. The attack survivor showed no emotion, watching through a glass window just steps from where Ricks was strapped to a gurney. On the back of Marcus Figueroa’s neck, visible above his shirt collar and below his hair, were several scars apparently from the attack.

“I want to say that I’m sorry for taking Roxann and Anthony from y’all,” Ricks said when asked by the warden if he had a final statement. “I’m glad to be able to speak to tell y'all that face to face.”

He said he hoped one day that his victims’ relatives would be able to find it in their hearts to forgive him. He also addressed Marcus Figueroa, saying he hated that he took his mother and brother away.

“I always thought about you and I’m sorry that I took your mom and your brother away. I hate that you had to experience that, I just can’t imagine, but I’m truly sorry for what I’ve done, and I wish y’all peace and joy as much as you can but I’m sorry, that’s all I can say," Ricks said. His voice cracking and tear forming in his eye, he added that he hoped to find the woman and her son in heaven and “tell them I'm sorry face to face.”

“I hope y’all go in peace. I really do. I’m sorry," he concluded before the injection began.

As the drug took effect, he took 19 quick breaths, then made 10 snoring sounds, followed seconds later by some intermittent gurgles. Then all movement and sounds stopped, and he was pronounced dead 30 minutes after the injection had begun.

Among the other witnesses were Roxann Sanchez’s stepfather and brother, and Anthony Figueroa’s father, brother and grandmother. None of them showed any emotion in the death chamber witness area and declined to speak with reporters afterward.

The night of the killings, prosecutors said, Ricks and Sanchez had been arguing in their apartment when the woman's two sons from a previous marriage tried to break up the fight. Ricks grabbed a knife from the kitchen and began to stab Sanchez multiple times, court records showed.

Marcus Figueroa ran to his bedroom closet and tried to call police. After killing Anthony Figueroa, Ricks began stabbing Marcus Figueroa, who played dead until his attacker left the apartment, authorities said. Ricks did not harm his own then-9-month-old son Isaiah, according to court records. Ricks fled and was later arrested in Oklahoma.

At his ensuing capital murder trial, Ricks testified that he had anger issues and had been defending himself against the two boys after they had come to their mother’s defense.

“Explaining my rage, I was upset. Things happen. I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know. I wish I could bring them back, like, right now,” said Ricks, who also apologized at the time for the killings.

A day before the stabbings, Ricks had appeared in court after having been charged with assaulting Sanchez during a previous incident.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Ricks' final appeal without comment. His attorneys had argued that prosecutors violated Ricks’ constitutional rights by eliminating potential jurors on the basis of race while selecting the trial panel.

The Texas Attorney General’s Office said court records show the prosecution’s jury selection decisions were “race neutral” and lower courts have already concluded that prosecutors’ actions were not discriminatory.

And earlier this week, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles denied Ricks’ request to commute his death sentence or grant a 90-day reprieve.

Ricks was the second person put to death this year in Texas and the sixth in the country. Texas has historically held more executions than any other state.

Charles “Sonny” Burton, a 75-year-old inmate in Alabama, had been scheduled for execution Thursday. But Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Monday commuted his death sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Burton had been condemned for a fatal shooting during a 1991 robbery at an auto parts store even though he didn’t pull the trigger.

Lozano reported from Houston. Follow Juan A. Lozano: https://x.com/juanlozano70

This undated photo provided by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice shows Texas death row inmate Cedric Ricks. (Texas Department of Criminal Justice via AP)

This undated photo provided by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice shows Texas death row inmate Cedric Ricks. (Texas Department of Criminal Justice via AP)