Haiti’s Prime Minister Ariel Henry has agreed to resign following weeks of mounting pressure and increasing violence in the impoverished country.
This development follows a gathering of regional leaders in Jamaica on Monday, where they deliberated on a political transition in Haiti.
Mr. Henry finds himself stranded in Puerto Rico, unable to return home due to armed gangs.
In a video statement announcing his resignation, he appealed to Haitians to maintain calm.
“The government that I am leading will resign immediately after the installation of [a transition] council,” Mr Henry said.
“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.”
Mr. Henry, who assumed leadership of the country on an interim basis since July 2021 following the assassination of former President Jovenel Moïse, repeatedly delayed elections, citing the need to restore security first.
Many Haitians questioned his prolonged governance without an elected president.
Heavily armed gangs have tightened their control over the streets of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and attacked the main prison, resulting in the escape of thousands of inmates.
They have also called for the resignation of the unelected prime minister.
The capital and its surrounding region are under a month-long state of emergency, with an extended curfew in place.
Matthias Pierre, a former elections minister in Haiti, revealed Mr. Henry’s resignation to the BBC’s Newsday program before it was publicly confirmed.
He characterized the current situation in the country as “very precarious.
“The police force is weak, and more than 40 police stations [are] destroyed. The army is very limited and not equipped; gang members occupy most of the [Port-au-Prince] downtown and some government headquarters.
“Very soon people will be out of food, medication and… medical support.”
Mr Pierre said the gangs were now pushing to be part of any new power-sharing deal, adding that such a political settlement was impossible without the “support” of an international armed force.
During Mr. Henry’s visit to Kenya to finalize a deal regarding the deployment of an international security force aimed at addressing violence, a coalition of gangs launched attacks on police stations and breached two of Haiti’s largest prisons.
Attempts to land Mr. Henry’s plane at Haiti’s international airport were thwarted due to ongoing assaults.
His resignation had been anticipated for several days. The Caricom group of Caribbean nations had made it clear that they viewed him as an obstacle to Haiti’s stability and insisted he step down to pave the way for a transitional council.
Initially, the White House had intended for Mr. Henry to return to Haiti to oversee the transitional process, but recent intense fighting in the country led to a change of stance in Washington.
With neither the support of the US State Department nor his regional neighbors, it became evident that Mr. Henry had no choice but to resign.
Though expressing a desire to return to Haiti, Mr. Henry’s ability to do so hinges on improvements in the security situation, as indicated by the US delegation present at the talks in Kingston on Monday.
A senior US official revealed that Mr. Henry had made the decision to step down on Friday but had awaited an official announcement to facilitate discussions.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken pledged an additional $100 million to the UN-backed security force, expected to be led by Kenya, bringing the total proposed US contribution to $300 million. Additionally, $33 million was allocated for humanitarian aid.
Speaking following the meeting, chairman of the Caricom group and Guyana President Irfaan Ali said: “We acknowledge his resignation upon the establishment of a transitional presidential council and naming of an interim prime minister.”
President Ali outlined that the transitional presidential council would consist of two observers and seven voting members, incorporating representatives from various coalitions, the private sector, civil society, and one religious leader.
He emphasized that the council’s primary task is to promptly appoint an interim prime minister and specified that individuals intending to contest Haiti’s upcoming elections will be ineligible to participate.
The objective is for the council to facilitate the organization of Haiti’s first elections since 2016.