Haiti Prime Minister Ariel Henry announced Tuesday morning that he will resign after several weeks of chaos and what could be an unfolding low-scale civil war as gangs fight for control.
Henry said in a statement that he would step down as prime minister immediately after a transitional presidential council is formed and an interim prime minister is named.
"The government that I'm running cannot remain insensitive in this situation. There is no sacrifice that is too big for our country," Henry said in a statement, adding, "The government I'm running will remove itself immediately after the installation of the council."
Haitian PM Ariel Henry released a video confirming he will step down after the creation of a transitional council, under a plan agreed with regional leaders. Henry was speaking from Puerto Rico after gangs prevented his return to Haiti from a visit to Kenya. pic.twitter.com/JT1Xweu4hn
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) March 12, 2024
Hours before this announcement, Caribbean leaders and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met in Jamaica to discuss the security situation in Haiti, including armed gangs raiding two of the country's largest prisons, burning police stations and government buildings, and even attacking the nation's main airport.
Henry finds himself stuck in Puerto Rico this week, unable to return home due to armed gang attacks on Toussaint Louverture International Airport.
He continued by saying, "I want to thank the Haitian people for the opportunity I had been granted. I'm asking all Haitians to remain calm and do everything they can for peace and stability to come back as fast as possible."
🚨BREAKING: HAITI PM RESIGNS AS U.S LOOKS TO STRENGTHEN SECURITY
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) March 12, 2024
Bowing to pressure from other Caribbean leaders, Mr Henry announced he would step down as the U.S offered an extra $100 million to help secure Haiti.
Haiti’s most powerful gang leader, Barbecue, rejected any… pic.twitter.com/1Wo4deEb7C
🔥🚨BREAKING EXCLUSIVE: Haiti Gang leader Jimmy Cherisier aka Barbecue said if Haiti PN Ariel Henry doesn't resign Haiti will have a genocide, Barbecue went on to say if the Prime Minister insists on staying in power, they can all expect a civil war against Ariel and the… pic.twitter.com/hbYFJrbriX
— Dom Lucre | Breaker of Narratives (@dom_lucre) March 11, 2024
Haiti has collapsed. The President is no longer in the country. The ports are officially closed. Cannibal gangs are besieging the national palace in Port-au-Prince. pic.twitter.com/xm2T5Scc5o
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) March 10, 2024
Bloomberg pointed out the power struggle unfolding:
With the Prime Minister absent, other forces have started trying to fill the vacuum. One new political alliance involves former policeman Guy Philippe and ex-presidential candidate and senator Moise Jean Charles. Philippe was behind a 2004 coup and spent several years in US prison on money laundering charges.
In addition, Jimmy "Barbecue" Cherizier, a former policeman turned gang leader, warned that if Henry returned it would unleash a "civil war" and "genocide." While gangs have existed in Haiti for decades, they've grown powerful amid government and private-sector complicity. Today, they control about 80% of the capital of Port-au-Prince and large parts of the countryside.
The resignation came just a few days after the US military conducted emergency airlift operations to evacuate non-essential personnel from the US embassy in the country. Also, US Marines were sent to the embassy to beef up security.
