Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry leaves the auditorium after addressing students during a public lecture on bilateral engagement between Kenya and Haiti at the United States International University (USIU) Africa Branch in Nairobi, March 1, 2024.
Simon Miner | AFP | Getty Images
Haiti’s unelected Prime Minister Ariel Henry said on Monday he would resign once a transitional council and an interim replacement are appointed. He has led the Caribbean country since the previous president was assassinated in 2021.
Armed gangs have grown significantly in wealth, influence and territory under his watch, prompting Henry to travel to Kenya in late February to secure support for a United Nations-backed group. safety mission Help the police.
However, the conflict has escalated dramatically during his absence, leaving the 74-year-old neurosurgeon stranded in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico while regional leaders call for a swift transition.
“I lead a government that will resign as soon as the (transitional) council is established,” Henry said in a late-night video speech. “I want to thank the Haitian people for giving me the opportunity.”
“I ask all Haitians to remain calm and do everything possible to restore peace and stability as quickly as possible,” he added.
Footage posted on Haitian social media appeared to show celebrations in the streets, with people dancing to music in a party atmosphere and fireworks flying into the night sky.
A senior U.S. official said Henry is free to stay in Puerto Rico or travel elsewhere, but security in Haiti needs to improve before he can return safely. The decision to resign was made on Friday, the official said.
President’s Council
Henry was destined to be Replaced by President’s Council The commission will have two observers and seven voting members, including representatives from a number of political alliances, the business sector, civil society and a religious leader.
Burnt vehicles remain parked on the side of the road as gang violence escalates in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on March 9, 2024.
Clarence Sifroy | AFP | Getty Images
The committee is tasked with quickly appointing an interim prime minister; anyone planning to run in Haiti’s next election will not be able to do so.
Haiti has lacked elected representatives since early 2023, and the next election will be the first since 2016. Henry, considered corrupt by many Haitians, has repeatedly postponed elections and said security must be restored first.
Regional leaders met in nearby Jamaica on Monday to discuss a political transition framework, which the United States last week urged “enmergency“Armed groups are trying to overthrow his government.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said earlier on Monday that the commission would be tasked with meeting the “urgent needs” of Haitians, ensuring the deployment of the security mission and creating the necessary security conditions for free elections.
Haiti declared a state of emergency earlier this month after clashes disrupted communications and led to two prison breaks. Jimmy “Grill” CherryLeaders of a coalition of armed groups said they would unite to overthrow Henry.
More missionary funds
Henry’s resignation comes amid regional talks to join international forces he has asked to help police fight criminal gangs whose brutal turf wars have exacerbated the humanitarian crisis, cut off food supplies and forced dozens of Thousands of people left their homes.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken gets off the plane upon arrival at Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston, Jamaica, on March 11, 2024.
Andrew Caballero Reynolds | via Reuters
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said earlier on Monday that the United States would provide an additional $100 million and $33 million in humanitarian aid to the force, bringing the total U.S. commitment to the force to $300 million.
However, it’s unclear how long it will take for the funds to be approved by lawmakers and transferred. A U.N. spokesman said that as of Monday, less than $11 million had been deposited into the U.N.’s dedicated trust fund — with no new contributions since Haiti declared a state of emergency on March 3.
Mexico’s foreign minister added that the country had donated an undisclosed amount of money and called for more action to stop arms trafficking to Haiti.
The United Nations believes that Haitian gangs have accumulated large quantities of weapons, which are trafficked mainly from the United States.
The United Nations estimates that more than 362,000 people, half of them children, have been internally displaced and thousands have been killed throughout the conflict, with numerous reports of rape, torture and kidnapping for ransom since 2021.
“A bloody revolution”
In Haiti, gang leader Cherizier threatens to go after hidden politicians or hotel owners who work with Henry. He demanded that the country’s next leader be elected by the people and live with their families in Haiti.
Haitian police are deployed in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on March 9, 2024. According to an AFP correspondent in Port-au-Prince, sporadic gunfire rang out in Port-au-Prince on the evening of March 8, as violence broke out in the Haitian capital as local residents desperately sought shelter due to a recent gang outbreak.
Clarence Sifroy | AFP | Getty Images
Many influential Haitian politicians live abroad.
“We are not having a peaceful revolution. We are having a bloody revolution in this country because this system is apartheid, it is an evil system,” Cherizil said.
Residents of the capital witnessed heavy gunfire over the weekend, with armed men surrounding the Forbidden City in the city center on Friday night and the United States airlifting staff from the embassy on Sunday. On Monday, authorities extended a nighttime curfew until Thursday.
Washington said it was seeking to speed up deployment of planned security missions.
Henry first requested an international security force in 2022, but countries have been slow to provide support, with some questioning the legitimacy of Henry’s unelected government amid widespread protests.
Many in the Haitian community and abroad are wary of international intervention after a U.N. mission left a legacy of devastating cholera epidemics and sex abuse scandals for which reparations were never made.
Mike Ballard, intelligence director at security firm Global Guardian, said gangs would be responsible for delivering humanitarian aid to the country if they took control of ports and airports, adding that he did not believe the Kenyan military would be effective in policing or keeping the peace. .
“Countries with a real stake in the region need to step up and help strengthen security,” he said, referring to the United States, neighboring Dominican Republic and other Caribbean Community members.
Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis in Kingston; Harold Isaac, Steven Aristil and Ralph Tedy Erol in Port-au-Prince; Robertson S. Henry in Kingston; Brendan O Boyle and Sarah Moran in Mexico City; Additional reporting by Simon Lewis in Washington, Brendan O’Brien in Chicago and Michelle Nichols in New York; Editing by Bernadette Baum, Chizu Nomiyama , Aurora Ellis, Bill Berkrot, Richard Chang, Lincoln Feast and Gerry Doyle
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