Prime Minister Ariel Henry resigned

2 mins

“ We welcome the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry with the creation of a transitional presidential council and the appointment of an interim prime minister. I want to thank Prime Minister Henry for his service to Haiti, his commitment to the Haitian people and I ask you to applaud him “, Mohamed Irfaan Ali, President of Guyana and Caricom, said at a press conference.

Caribbean countries met in Jamaica with representatives from the UN and several countries, including France and the United States, to try to move forward on a solution in Haiti, plagued by gang violence and a crisis of governance.

Stranded in Puerto Rico

Stranded in Puerto Rico after being prevented from returning to Port-au-Prince, Ariel Henry spoke remotely with members of Caricom during the meeting. Without president, nor Parliament – the last head of state, Jovenel Moïse, was assassinated in 2021 – Haiti has not had an election since 2016. Ariel Henry, appointed by Jovenel Moïse, should have left office at the beginning of February.

At the beginning of March, he signed an agreement in Nairobi to allow the sending of Kenyan police officers to Haiti and had since sought to return to his country. Port-au-Prince has continued in recent days to descend into violence linked to gangs who are demanding the resignation of the Prime Minister, as have part of the population.

For several weeks, Port-au-Prince has been the scene of clashes between police officers and armed gangs who attack strategic sites, including the presidential palace, police stations and prisons. It is ” a city under siege “, alerted Philippe Branchat on Saturdaythe head for Haiti of the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Separately, a US official said the resigning Haitian prime minister is welcome if he wishes to remain in the US territory of Puerto Rico.

( More information to come )

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