Haiti’s Prime Minister Ariel Henry resigned on Monday over increasing violence by a notorious gang in the country that has already forced the cancellation of general elections several times.
Mohamed Irfaan Ali, Guyana’s president and current Caribbean Community (CARICOM) chair, said in a statement:
“We acknowledge his resignation upon the establishment of transitional presidential council and naming an interim prime minister.”
Heads of State from 25 CARICOM member countries gathered in Kingston, Jamaica, for an extraordinary meeting to discuss the security crisis in Haiti. After the meeting, 74-year-old Henry, who had been in Puerto Rico since 5 March for security reasons, informed CARICOM of his decision to resign.
Meanwhile, gang members attempted to raid two police stations and the Interior Ministry but were repelled by police, local media reported.
Gang leader Jimmy Cherizier, also known as “Barbecue,” whose actions have led to the escape of thousands of prisoners from various prisons, warned on 6 March that if Prime Minister Henry does not resign, “either Haiti will be a paradise for all of us or hell for all of us.”
Armed gangs demanding Henry’s resignation clashed with security forces on 2 and 3 March, carrying out armed attacks on two prisons across the country. Nearly 4,000 prisoners escaped during the clashes and 12 people were killed.
On 4 March, the government declared a 72-hour state of emergency to apprehend escaped prisoners and announced a curfew to be in place during certain hours.
Cherizier’s gang repeatedly attempted to seize the airport in the capital to prevent Henry from returning to the country. At the time of the gang attacks, Henry was in Nairobi planning the deployment of a Kenyan-led multinational security force to Haiti. A state of emergency declared on 4 March to detain escaped prisoners was extended for one month on 7 March.
Henry came to power after the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021. Washington, the UN and other organisations have rallied around him, thwarting other attempts to form a coalition government. The US has given more than $5.5 billion to Haiti since 2010. This week’s $100 million allocation brings the total funding for the Kenyan-led peacekeeping mission to $300 million.
