Born in Maniche, in the South department of Haiti, in 1955, Senator Pierre François Sildor passed away in his hometown on Saturday, September 19, 2026, at the age of 71. With his passing, Haiti loses a figure of public life, the South department loses one of its committed sons, and Maniche bids farewell to one of its most illustrious natives.
The news of his passing is all the more painful as it marks the end of a journey of a man who dedicated a significant part of his life to the service of the State, to the sharing of knowledge, and to public affairs.
Elected senator of the South department in January 2017 under the banner of the Haitian Tèt Kale Party (PHTK), Pierre François Sildor became President of the Senate of the Republic in January 2020, succeeding the senator from Artibonite, Dr. Carl Murat Cantave. This role, one of the most important in the Republic, crowned an already rich professional and administrative career.
Unlike those whose careers begin and end in the political arena, Pierre François Sildor had already proven himself in public administration. Before entering the Grand Corps, he spent nearly sixteen years of his life at the Electricité d'Haiti (EDH), where he held various positions including financial director, administrative director, and general director.
His career, however, was not limited to public administration. He also worked in Canadian cooperation in Haiti and was involved in university teaching. Through this other dimension of his career, he shared his knowledge, skills, and personal development with both young people and adults. For him, professional experience had real value only when it could be passed on to future generations.
A politician beyond divisions
Pierre François Sildor was also a politician. But those who knew him mostly remember him as a simple, accessible, conciliatory man who valued dialogue.
I had the opportunity to meet him several times as a minister during work sessions. These meetings allowed me to discover a man deeply concerned about the future of his country and the need to build another Haiti.
In a political class often marked by clashes, rivalries, and calculations, Sildor favored, in his relations with his interlocutors, dialogue and the search for solutions. Therefore, his political commitment cannot be reduced solely to the positions he held. He must also be seen through his journey as a professional, administrator, teacher, and servant of the State.
It is precisely this multifaceted journey that gives his passing a particular resonance.
A long struggle against illness
According to family and friends, Pierre François Sildor suffered a stroke in 2024. His health gradually deteriorated, and he traveled to Canada in August 2026 for necessary medical care.
However, after this medical stay, he returned shortly before his death to his native land, Maniche, to which he remained deeply attached. It was there, among those who shared his history and in the city where he was born, that he would ultimately take his last breath.
There is something profoundly moving about this return to his roots. After serving his country in the major institutions of the Republic, after experiencing the corridors of administration, university amphitheaters, and Senate rows, Pierre François Sildor returned to Maniche, where it all began.
The circle was thus closed.
The South loses one of its sons
With the passing of Pierre François Sildor, Haiti loses a former President of the Senate and an executive who dedicated several decades to professional and public life. The South department loses a representative who had voiced its concerns in Parliament. Maniche, above all, loses a son deeply attached to his native land.
His legacy cannot be measured solely by the official positions he held. It is also found in the responsibilities he assumed within public administration, in the knowledge he shared at the university, in the human relationships he built, and in the memory he leaves to those who knew him.
Political disagreements can be numerous and legitimate in a democracy. However, they should never prevent us from recognizing, in those who have served the Republic, what deserves to be acknowledged: the work accomplished, the public commitment, the availability, and the dedication to the community.
A final farewell
This Saturday, October 3, 2026, at the Saint-Eugène de Mazenod parish, the funeral of Pierre François Sildor brought together family, friends, former colleagues, political figures, and community members to pay their last respects.
In this church, voices rose to accompany one last time the man who had devoted part of his existence to public affairs for decades.
But beyond the speeches and ceremonies, there remains the memory of a man who traversed several stages of national life: public administration, cooperation, university, and finally Parliament. There will also remain the image of a son of the South who, despite the national responsibilities he held, never ceased to maintain a special connection to his homeland.
And now, what will remain of Pierre François Sildor?
There will remain a name in the archives of the Republic, a signature in the history of the Senate, a journey in public administration, and a memory in the hearts of those who knew him.
But above all, there will remain this silent lesson that the departed sometimes teach us: positions come and go, titles fade, institutions change, but the mark left in the lives of others endures.
Pierre François Sildor has left this world, but his journey will continue to remind us that beyond political battles and temporary disputes, serving the State should always mean serving something greater than oneself.
In Maniche, his hometown, a page has turned.
In the South, a voice has fallen silent.
And in Haiti, a memory begins.
Farewell, Senator Pierre François Sildor.
May the land of Maniche, which you loved so much, be light upon you.
