Video. Firefights break out in Haiti’s capital as prime minister replaced

Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, saw shootouts between police and gangs as violence surged on the same day Alix Didier Fils-Aimé was set to replace Garry Conille as interim prime minister. Footage showed heavily armed police and civilians fleeing gunfire, while gangs attempted to seize control of the main airport.

The transitional council’s appointment of Fils-Aimé, a businessman and former Chamber of Commerce president, comes amidst a prolonged democratic crisis in Haiti that has been exacerbated by gang violence and political infighting. Efforts to stabilise the situation, including mediation by the Organisation of American States, have so far failed.